Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 14:17 pm
A large fire devastated St. Joseph Catholic Church, a historic parish in Salem, Oregon, early Thursday morning, leading pastor Father Jeff Meeuwsen to conclude that the sanctuary “is pretty much a loss.”
St. Joseph’s is one of the oldest parish communities in Oregon. It serves about 3,500 faithful and is a part of the Archdiocese of Portland, located about an hourlong drive from downtown Portland.
Debra Gill, a reporter for local news station Fox 12 Oregon, said in a Thursday morning broadcast that “really heavy flames on the roof” of the church wreaked havoc on the sanctuary structure.
ST. JOSEPH’S FIRE: Video from early this morning of the 4-alarm fire at St. Joseph’s in Salem. Salem and Marion County Fire responded to the call at 2:31 am, arriving to the building in flames: pic.twitter.com/ccd20NlroI
— Savannah Welch (@svnnh_wlch) August 31, 2023