Petersburg’s Catholic church, St. Catherine of Siena, caught fire Thursday afternoon in a blaze that continued for nearly 10 hours.
Don Koenigs has attended the church for over 40 years. He was one of just two parishioners at midday Mass on Thursday.
“We were just ready to receive Holy Communion,” Koenigs said. “I looked up and I saw smoke billowing up above, so I ran out of the church immediately and could see that the church was on fire. I ran in and told Father, and I said, ‘You have to take Jesus out of the tabernacle.’”
At 12:29 p.m., emergency dispatch received multiple calls as neighbors and passersby caught sight of the flames. Responders were on the scene within minutes. As the firefighters tackled the blaze, smoke billowed from St. Catherine’s down into Petersburg. Sgt. Drew Ayriss said police officers quickly cordoned off several streets.
“The smoke was heading in a southwesterly direction,” said Ayriss. “So we evacuated everybody in the nearby houses. We also evacuated the Children’s Center because… there [were] actually children in the school.”
At Petersburg Medical Center, CEO Phil Hofstetter saw the smoke as it blew down the hill to the clinic.
“It was almost like it was porous,” said Hofstetter. “It went right through the building.”
And that meant scores of appointments were quickly canceled.
“We closed all non-essential services and we sent staff home,” said Hofstetter. “We put some air scrubbers into the different units for long-term care.”
Back at St. Catherine’s, crowds gathered as the church roof began to cave in and its spire buckled under the heat of the flames.
“[It’s] bringing tears to my eyes,” said Jim Litsheim. “I’m just shocked.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Becky Knight. “I’ve lived here for 48 years, and I don’t know — there’s been fires in town, but this is pretty terrible.”
“I’m sad for the community,” said Ed Tagaban. “It’s gonna be tough on all the parishioners there.”
Among the onlookers stood Father Jose. This is his first year at St. Catherine’s.
“It’s so heartbreaking,” said Jose. “So heartbreaking. But we will survive. That’s our hope.”
As the first hour rolled on, more volunteers arrived on the scene. Some, like Taylor Norheim, even raced in from the water to fight the fire.
“I got here late, even,” said Norheim. “I was out on the boat, [but] I had to go. I canceled work for the day, because, I don’t know — somebody’s got to do it. But I mean, the building’s a loss. That really sucks. My parents got married in there a long time ago. “
The Petersburg Fire Department has to rely on volunteers — many, like Norheim, with full-time jobs. Fire department spokesperson Dave Berg said that means when a massive fire like this happens — the worst he’s seen in a quarter century — they can find themselves with just a skeleton crew.
“One engine came in with only a driver. So there was no one no, no staff. I mean, it’s capable of carrying six,” Berg said. “Our volunteer staff has been declining over the years. It’s just, you know, people don’t seem to be as interested in in either fire service or volunteering as a whole.”
Aaron Hankins, the director of fire and EMS, said in a race against time, fewer volunteers can hurt. Berg agreed.
“We might have been able to get up on the roof before the whole entire thing was compromised,” Berg said. “But by the time we got access and had enough volunteers to do it. You know, it was kind of not really safe to go on there.”
As the afternoon turned to evening, the flames died down but refused to die out. Four-inch thick wooden beams, tightly layered on the roof of the sanctuary, blocked the hoses from extinguishing the flames smoldering underneath. And the attic of the fellowship was just as hard to access. So the chainsaws came out to carve up chunks of timber to allow for a way for the water to get in.
Across a parking lot in the Parks and Recreation gymnasium, the congregation of St. Catherine’s gathered for communion, prayer and to plan for the days ahead. Father Jose was living at the back of the church before it burned down. But in a brief moment of levity, he told the parishioners he had just brought home some groceries.
“I was about to cook today — I’d just bought some pork,” said Jose. “It’s maybe roasted now with the fire.”
As the parishioners left the gymnasium, they stopped to watch the firefighters still battling the stubborn flames burning in the church roof. Berg said the outlook for the building isn’t good.
“Well, the sanctuary was spared,” said Berg. “There’s heavy smoke damage in their very little fire. But as far as the rectory is concerned — and especially the Fellowship Hall and the kitchen area — it’s pretty much destroyed. I really think that all in all, we’re probably going to have a total loss with the building.”
It was past 10 p.m. when the final hose was turned off. There was just one injury amongst the multi-agency army of Petersburg volunteers — a broken finger in the fire crew.
The fire’s cause will be investigated in the days and weeks to come by local and state fire marshals. But for now, St Catherine’s of Siena is reduced to a shell.
