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ST a I Re I I I el I eI Te I re ON I oN HE HH HHS =e 4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, June 2, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 1 Roman Catholic Church 466 Sony Top left: A ladder truck from the Oshawa Fire Department was called in for support. Centre: Catholic Church silhouetted against the dark night sky by the raging fire, as it devours the interior of the building. Bottom left: At daybreak, Father Charlie Faleiro arrived to survey the devastation. Bottom centre: A statue of Mary and the baby Jesus attached to the building, was damaged during the fire. Bottom right: Scugog firefighters hose down building to stop fire from spreading to nearby houses. Left: Fire Chief Richard Millar and Dist. Chief Dave Ballingal keep a watchful eye on the fire and their men. FIRE Immaculate Conception Catholic Church ravaged by early morning inferno Continued from Front Page "Once the roof collapsed we just fought to contain the fire within the walls and protect the adjacent structures." The Immaculate Conception Separate School and the pri- est's residence, both very close to the church, were hosed down by firefighters to prevent the spread of fire in high winds. OPP officers closed Hwy. 7A on either side of the church and it remained that way through most of the day. As daylight arrived, it was evident that the loss was almost total. Father Charlie, as he is known to his parishioners, stood vigil, surveying the ruins of his church. "This is God's will," he said. "This is sent to us to make our congregation stronger, and closer." Members of the congregation slowly began to arrive, some of them dressed for mass. They stood in small groups, some with tears streaming down their faces, as the walls still standing were knocked down by a backhoe. The Ontario Fire Marshals office would not speculate on a cause for the fire, but Marshall Bill Hiscott said he expects to be on the scene for several days. Initial fire department reports put the damage to the building at $2 million. Insurance adjusters were on site Sunday morning to assess damage. By noon on Sunday weary firefighters were lying on the grass or sitting with heads in hands, catch- ing cat naps. Chief Miller praised the effort put in by his crews. "I could not be prouder of these guys and the job they did here," he said. "They managed this, and there are other guys back at the hall covering the many wind damage calls. They did a great job here today." Photos by J. Peter Hvidsten See hs Ss al a aS iia |