Church members assess damage following devastating fire

By MIKE STRAIN World News Editor on Jul 21, 2013, at 7:44 PM??Updated on 7/21/13 at 9:08 PM

Firefighter Marty Osborne looks at a Bible that he found in the remains of Christ Presbyterian Church in Claremore on Sunday. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

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CLAREMORE ? The Bible?s cover was missing and the pages soaked. But at least something could be taken from the charred mess.

?This doesn?t belong on the ground,? Claremore fire official Marty Osborne said as he handed the water-logged book to Christ Presbyterian Church pastor Dave Schwenk.

The church was destroyed late Saturday night in a raging blaze that required assistance from fire departments from across Rogers County. The cause is still being investigated, and one injury was reported, a firefighter treated for heat exhaustion.

As Schwenk looked at the century-old structure on a rainy Sunday afternoon, only rubble remained ? piles of 100-year-old stones, charred wood and warped metal burned black from intense heat. What could be salvaged?

?Nothing,? Schwenk said. ?It won?t be worth going through.?

The first emergency call reached the Claremore Fire Department at 9:58 p.m., said Osborne, the department?s battalion chief. Firefighters arrived two minutes later, but smoke already was pouring from the metal roof.

Entering the building wasn?t safe, Osborne said. The possibility of a roof collapse or a flashover ? when air turns to fire ? left firefighters taking a defensive approach. Their goal: Protect buildings around the church in the Claremore area known as Old Town.

?The best thing we did here was keep it from burning down anything else,? Osborne said.

Read more in Monday's Tulsa World.

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Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Church_members_assess_damage_following_devastating/20130721_12_0_hrbahr30754?rss_lnk=12

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