California firefighters are investigating the origin of a fire
that destroyed a historic 249-year-old Catholic church.
In the early morning hours Saturday, firefighters responded to a fire
at the San Gabriel Mission where they found a massive blaze engulfing
the roof and front entrance of the church, San Gabriel Fire Department
fire captain Antonio Negrete told CNN.
The church sits about 11 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
When firefighters made a forced entry into the church
in an attempt to put out the blaze, portions of the roof
and ceiling began to fall, he said.
About 80 firefighters from 12 fire agencies fought the blaze
for nearly three hours, Negrete added.
“During the initial stages of the fire attack, firefighters were able to remove
historical artifacts and some artwork from the path of the blaze,”
fire chief Steven Wallace told CNN.
“Once the heavy fire in the roof was knocked down, firefighters
re-entered the old church and made a valiant stand to cut off the
horizontal spread of the fire near the altar area, sparing items that date back
to the late 1700s.”
The attached Mission Museum was also saved from the fire.
The building sustained heavy damage to the roof, with considerable smoke
and water damage to the sanctuary area, according to Wallace.
No one was inside the church at the time of the fire
and no firefighters were injured putting out the blaze.
The church was undergoing renovations to mark its upcoming
250th anniversary celebration when the fire broke out.
The church has been at the center of a controversy surrounding statues
of St. Junipero Serra
– seen as symbols of violence and oppression to indigenous populations — which have been toppled by activists across California.
“One of the factors investigators are taking into account is the recent vandalism to the statues of the saint, specifically in the Los Angeles region,” Fire Captain Negrete said.
Following the toppling of Serra statues across California, the San Gabriel Mission
relocated their bronze statue of Serra, which stood outside the church entrance
since the 1980s,”to a more appropriate location, out of public view,”
they announced before the fire.
( bronze statue of Serra before it was moved )
Considered by historians to be the most important base of operations for the Spanish conquest of California, San Gabriel was the fourth of 21 missions established in the state, and one of the grandest. At its height in 1829, the mission had 50,000 livestock, 160,000 grapevines, and 2,300 fruit trees, said Philip Ethington, professor of history and political science and chair of the history department at USC.
The San Gabriel Mission is also considered sacred ground among the Catholic faithful and has been the site of countless baptisms, weddings and funerals, with some families reporting connections that date back generations.
Barbara’s notes:
You have to ask yourself…why?
Why, are they burning statues, churches and desecrating cemeteries ?
I think we all know why…but maybe, a better question is when will it stop?
After our election in November?
Time will tell.
Can we say it’s yet another “construction accident” just like Notre Dame.
(April 15, 2019)
This Mission was also under reconstruction; preparing for it’s
upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
By BARBARA KISKIS
July 13, 2020
sagasandstoriesat821lane 