Petersburg Catholic church burns in 10-hour fire

July 7, 2023 by Thomas Copeland, KFSK - Petersburg



The roof and steeple of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church was consumed by flames. (Photo by Shelby Herbert/KFSK)

Petersburg’s Catholic church, St. Catherine of Sienna, caught fire yesterday afternoon in a blaze that continued for nearly ten hours.

Don Koenigs has attended St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church for over 40 years. He was one of just two parishioners at midday Mass on Thursday.

“We were just ready to receive Holy Communion,” Koenigs said. “I looked up and I saw smoke billowing up above, so I ran out of the church immediately and could see that the church was on fire. I ran in and told Father, and I said, ‘You have to take Jesus out of the tabernacle.’”

At 12:29, emergency dispatch received multiple calls as neighbors and passersby caught sight of the flames. Responders were on the scene within minutes. As the firefighters tackled the blaze, smoke billowed from St. Catherine’s down into Petersburg. Sergeant Drew Ayriss said police officers quickly cordoned off several streets.

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