115-year-old West Philly church deemed ‘imminently dangerous’ after fire
Church officials have several days to develop a plan to secure the site before the city steps in — a move that could include the partial demolition of the former St. Gregory’s Roman Catholic Church.
The scene the day after a fire at the Greater Bible Way Temple on the corner of 52nd and Warren Streets in West Philadelphia.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer
A three-alarm fire that ravaged a 115-year-old stone church Tuesday in the Parkside section of West Philadelphia left the structure “imminently dangerous,” officials say.
Concerned about heavy roof tiles or other debris falling from the burned building, crews have established a “safety zone” fence around the Greater Bible Way Temple at 52nd and Warren Streets, said Karen Guss, a spokesperson for the Department of Licenses and Inspections.
Advertisement
Church officials now have several days to develop a plan to secure the site before the city steps in — a move that could include the partial demolition of the former St. Gregory’s Roman Catholic Church, built in 1904, Guss said.
Members of Greater Bible Way Temple watch as the church burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Pedestrians watch as Philadelphia Fire Department puts out a fire at the Greater Bible Way Temple on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia firefighters go on top of a roof on Warren St., to put out a fire at the Greater Bibleway Temple Inc on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
A multiple alarm and special call of a fire at the Greater Bibleway Temple Inc is being put out by West Philadelphia Fire Department on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
A fire burns at at the Greater Bible Way Temple at the corner of 52nd and Warren Streets in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.Read moreMargo Reed / Staff Photographer
A multiple alarm and special call of a fire at the Greater Bibleway Temple Inc is being put out by West Philadelphia Fire Department on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
A multiple alarm and special call of a fire at the Greater Bibleway Temple Inc is being put out by West Philadelphia Fire Department on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
Firefighters respond to a fire at Bible Way Baptist Church, located at 1323 N 52nd Street in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.Read moreMargo Reed
Firefighters respond to a fire at Bible Way Baptist Church, located at 1323 N 52nd Street in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.Read moreMargo Reed
Church members gather, as a fire burns at at the Greater Bible Way Temple at the corner of 52nd and Warren Streets in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.Read more / Staff Photographer
Greater Bible Way Temple burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Benjamin Peterson Jr., Senior pastor at Greater Bible Way Temple, hugs his niece, Felicia Peterson, who is a lifelong member of the church, as it burns in a two-alarm fire at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Members of the neighborhood watch as Greater Bible Way Temple burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Members of Greater Bible Way Temple who declined to provide their names gather as the church burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Greater Bible Way Temple burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
People in West Philadelphia watch as Greater Bible Way Temple burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Greater Bible Way Temple burns at the corner of 52 and Warren St. Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The first alarm was around 2:45 p.m. and the second at approximately 3:00 p.m.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer
Officials were still investigating the cause of the blaze that tore through the church’s steeple around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday and was placed under control around 6.
Investigators are aware of cell-phone video that was taken before the fire erupted and showed a worker with a propane tank on the roof of the church, but have not pinpointed the cause of the blaze, officials said.
After pouring water on the church all night to dampen hot spots, firefighters returned to the building around 12:25 p.m. Wednesday to extinguish a small fire that had rekindled in a window sill.
But while officials work to assess the damage, congregants of the Greater Bible Way Temple say they’re already focused on rebuilding.
Church administrator Regina Williams said Wednesday the church has set up a GoFundMe account to collect donations and supplies to restore the century-old structure. Greater Bible Way Temple moved to the location in 1984.
“Because the building is historical, we’re trying to keep as much of the frame as possible,” Williams said, adding that anyone interested in donating can contact her through the GoFundMe site. “The whole church is gone, so we’re going to have to rebuild."
“I’ve been here for 47 years. It means everything to me,” she added. “I grew up in this church.”
No matter the structure’s status, there will be a Sunday service, Williams said.
Bishop Benjamin Peterson Jr. told the Philadelphia Tribune he plans to hold a Sunday service in a tent near the site.
“We want to reach out to the community to let them know that we’re still looking for people to get saved,” he told the Tribune.
Joseph A. Gambardello is a Team Now morning staff writer. A former wire service reporter and foreign correspondent and New York City newspaper journalist, he joined the Inquirer in 1995 and has worked on the City, South Jersey, Features, and Online Desks.
