Petersburg Church Avoids Major damage in Heater Fire
PETERSBURG – A fast response from the petersburg Fire & EMS Department adn a functioning alarm system prevented meaningful damage to St. Joseph Catholic Church after a heater in the sanctuary caught fire on Dec. 2.
Firefighters arriving at the church on West Washington Street encountered heavy smoke but no visible exterior damage. Upon entering, crews quickly located and extinguished the burning heater. No injuries were reported.
“Thankfully, the church’s alarm system did exactly what it was designed to do … alert early and give us a fighting chance,” the department stated in a Facebook post.the proximity of the first responding station on South Market Street - just a block away – also contributed to the swift response.
Built in phases begining in 1887 and completed in 1916, St. Joseph is a Victorian Gothic-style building and part of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.
The fire department credited early detection and teamwork for preventing a more serious incident.
