Fire at Mt. Calvary moves Sun. service

YOUNGSTOWN

Firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that erupted this morning at Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church, 1812 Oak Hill Ave., but they suspect the blaze might be of electrical origin, said Fire Capt. Ralph DeMichael.

Nobody was in the church when the blaze erupted and was reported by a passerby at about 10 a.m., DeMichael said.

“It was a pretty extensive fire ... It was really cooking pretty good, so it had been burning for quite awhile,” he said.

The fire captain said the fire likely had been burning for several hours before it was reported.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze, one suffering an ankle injury and the other having something in his eye, the captain said.

The fire originated in the rotunda area church officials refer to as the prayer tower near the roof on the east side of the building, which faces Oak Hill Avenue. That was where most of the damage occurred, DeMichael said.

There was smoke damage throughout the building, but most of the water damage was contained to the front of the building on Oak Hill Avenue, he said.

Fire crews still had the street blocked in mid-afternoon as they helped National Fire Repair crews to secure the building against weather damage.

Sunday church services for the congregation have been moved to New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., at 4 p.m.

DeMichael said he could not provide an estimated dollar figure for the damage.