Fire destroys former Ebenezer Church today

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown firefighters encountered their share of problems with cold and ice when they fought a fire at an abandoned church early this morning. No one was seriously injured in the blaze at the former Ebenezer Church, 566 W. Indianola Ave.,

said battalion Chief Ron Russo. The cause remains under investigation.

“We froze hoses, we froze trucks, if it was it, we froze it,” Russo said this evening.

Some firefighters had minor injuries because of slips on the ice, he said.

The first call came at 3:48 a.m., he said, and more crews were called out at 6 a.m. when the temperature was 9 below zero. He said the building is unsafe right now, and crews will fight flare-ups from outside. The department has put in a request for an emergency demolition, which will occur sometime early this week, he added.