Three-Alarm Fire Destroys Historic San Bernardino Church, Injures One Firefighter

A historic church in San Bernardino was significantly damaged in a three-alarm fire on Monday, September 9th, requiring an emergency tear-down due to structural instability, officials said.

San Bernardino County Fire responded to the incident around 3:12 p.m. after receiving reports of a vegetation fire near W. 9th Street and N. F Street. Crews arrived to find an exterior fire that had extended into the basement of a large multi-story church. Windy conditions quickly spread the flames from the basement to the attic, prompting a Commercial Fire response, officials said.

Firefighters launched an aggressive interior attack, but the blaze grew, forcing crews to retreat and focus their efforts on containing the fire from the outside. Multiple hose lines and ladder pipes were deployed to extinguish the flames. Despite efforts to limit the spread, the church sustained major damage.

“Despite firefighter’s best efforts, the church was significantly damaged by the fire,” said Battalion Chief Mike McClintock. “Due to structural instability, an emergency tear-down process was initiated with San Bernardino Code Enforcement.”

The fire took more than two hours to control, during which two additional fires broke out due to embers and nearby palm trees catching fire. Firefighters quickly contained those fires, limiting damage to a nearby outbuilding and vehicle. One firefighter was injured during the operation and transported to an area hospital. No additional injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

San Bernardino County Fire was assisted by Rialto and Colton Fire Departments. In total, ten engines, three truck companies, and additional support units responded to the incident.