A day later, firefighters and police are still investigating what caused a massive fire that broke out at Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The significantly damaged building's steeple will need to be taken down, acting Fire Chief Tom Cahill said Monday morning. He said what will happen to the rest of the building will be up to the owners.
"They were appreciative and also very thankful that there were no injuries," he said of the owners' reaction to the fire.
Pastor Robin Lutjohann told NBC10 Boston that a decision regarding the rest of the building hadn't been made as of Monday morning. He sent a letter to the congregation late Sunday night saying services will continue on Wednesday and Sunday — but they need to find a new place of worship.
"I guess we have to get over the idea that our church is this building," parishioner Diane Garner said.
The cause of the conflagration hadn't been identified as of Monday morning — Cahill said, "We just want to rule everything out at this point."
The blaze started at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, just 30 minutes after parishioners had left Mass. No one was inside the church at the time of the fire, officials have said.
When firefighters first arrived at the scene, they found the front door locked, officials said. Once they got in, there was already heavy fire inside. About 30 minutes later, firefighters pulled out of the building and focused on the exterior of the church.
The concern was the potential collapse of the roof and steeple -- a concern that continued Monday morning. Several portions of the roof did collapse, but the steeple was still standing Monday morning.
In addition to the height of the steeple, fire officials said the structure and design of the building made it difficult to contain the fire.
In all, about 150 firefighters helped battle the blaze. Some suffered minor injuries, fire officials said.
Nearby homes and businesses were evacuated but not directly impacted by the fire. Six homes were impacted, with extensive water damage in the basement. Fire officials said it could take several days before they're able to return.
"It's still gonna be a couple days until people get back into their homes. There was so much water that overflowed. There's water damage to a number of basements in the surrounding areas," Cahill said.
Cambridge police said Broadway between Norfolk and Prospect remained closed due to the ongoing activity at the church.
"This remains an extended operation," they said on Twitter, noting that officers remain on site assisting with pedestrian safety and detours.
Fire officials said the street won't be opened until the structure is deemed safe, which isn't likely to happen until later in the day on Monday.
One parishioner told NBC10 Boston the congregation is very small, but despite that they had made numerous updates to the church over the past 15 years. Seeing all of that lost to the fire was devastating.
"I know we put all the candles out, so I'm sure it's not the candles," Diane Garner said. "We don't know what is the cause... But what scares me the most is I don't know where we go from here."
"People are devoted to this church and this building, and I guess we have to get over the idea that our church is this building because this building is not going to be here, I'm afraid."
"It's just a horrible tragedy," said Michael Nestler, another member of the church. "It's heartbreaking."
The chief said it could take days or even weeks to determine the cause of the fire.
