
Chilliwack Fire Dept. says fire at Cross Connection Church is under investigation
CHILLIWACK — The Chilliwack Fire Department says Monday’s intense fire at a 75-year-old church is under investigation.
In a news release from Assistant Fire Chief Chris Wilson, the Chilliwack Fire Department was dispatched to a report of smoke coming from Cross Connection Church at 9310 Williams Street. Fifty-four firefighters from Halls 1 (Cheam Avenue), 2 (Rosedale), 4 (South Sumas), 5 (Ryder Lake) and 6 (Greendale) responded to the scene and discovered smoke venting from the attic space of the wood-framed church.
According to Wilson, crews initially entered the building to locate the seat of the fire but were faced with heat and heavy smoke. Due to the rapidly deteriorating conditions inside the building, all firefighters were pulled back and defensive fire suppression operations utilizing multiple aerial master streams and handlines were initiated for the remainder of the incident.
Fire personnel worked tirelessly for several hours, Wilson said, and were challenged with a large wood-framed building, heavy volumes of smoke and fire and several structural collapses. A piece of heavy equipment was brought to the scene in the evening to remove some collapse hazards and begin demolition of parts of the building.