Meetinghouse fire ruled accidental
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CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
Everyone escaped safely when a fire broke out in the attic of a Church meetinghouse near Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., during a stake conference broadcast Sunday, May 17.
The fire, which has been ruled accidental by Cambridge Fire Department chief of operations John Gelinas, triggered an alarm at about 10:30 a.m., sending a congregation of about 350 outside. They had been viewing the broadcast originating from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.
The roof collapsed and the interior of the building was gutted by the fire. It is home to the Longfellow Park 1st and 2nd (YSA) wards and the Cambridge University Ward (Student Single).
The three-alarm fire burned for about 2½ hours, leaving a shell of red brick walls. The steeple remained standing over the nearly 60-year-old edifice.
It was reported that members calmly evacuated the building when they heard the fire alarm, even though the fire itself was not yet evident.
