Extremely Hot 4-Alarm Fire Breaks Out at Historic First Congregational Church in Berkeley, Causes Roof to Collapse

Berkeley fire chief said the flames were so intense, part of the roof collapsed at the church.

By NBC Bay Area staff

Fire crews raced on Friday afternoon to battle a four-alarm fire at an iconic East Bay church just blocks away from the University of California at Berkeley campus. Elyce Kirchner reports. (Published 3 hours ago)

Fire crews raced on Friday afternoon to battle a four-alarm fire at an iconic East Bay church just blocks away from the University of California at Berkeley campus.

Asst. Berkeley Fire Chief Donna McCraken said the fire broke out about 12:30 p.m. and the flames were so intense, part of the roof collapsed at the First Congregational Church at 2345 Channing Way.

Fire crew were able to get the blaze under control at 3:20 p.m. 

Police are investigating the cause of the fire, including reports of someone lighting matches nearby.

The fire forced 94 kids and 14 staff members to evacuate from a daycare inside the church, officials said. A firefighter, who was trapped in the attic during the initial firefight, had to jump out of a window, officials said. The firefighter was not injured.

"Fire crews went inside to try to make an aggressive interior attack and we discovered that the fire is running through the attack," Berkeley Fire Chief Gil Dong said.

Aerial footage showed massive flames spewing from the top of the brick building. The fast-moving flames triggered a roof collapse and forced firefighters to back out of the church.

"We had to go defensive, which means we are spraying water from the exterior trying to put the fire out from the oustide," Dong said.

Fire officials said 60 firefighters responded to the blaze.

First Congregational Church, which boasts a "progressive, welcoming congregation" that serves the East Bay, is a three-minute walk from the Cal campus.

In addition to a congregation, the historic building houses a thrift store, daycare and music venue that were also burned. The church has also been used as a shelter for the homeless. Officials said that will not be an option this winter.

"They have a very social presence, so it's a great loss to everybody," Berkeley-resident Laurie Gundling said.

First Congregation Church was built in 1925 and was designed by Horace G. Simpson, according to Berkeley Walks: Revealing Rambles Through America's Most Intriguing City by Robert E. Johnson and Janet L. Byron.

“Oh man, that’s so sad,” Byron told NBC Bay Area on Friday. She and her colleague routinely show off the church as one of the highlights on their walking tours. She said the church’s sanctuary is especially excellent for acoustics. She added that the particular neighborhood in Berkeley is extremely dense with other churches nearby, including one across the street. At one time, her book notes, Berkeley had among the highest number of churches per capita in the Bay Area.

The church is well known in liberal Berkeley for performing same-sex marriages and hosting musical performances, such as the Midsummer Mozart Festival. Evoloutionary biologists also come to speak there, and rainbow flags and "Pray for Orlando" are the lead images on the church's Facebook page.

Next week, the church was poised to host a forum for young Christians called "Do No Harm! But take no S*@%."

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First Congregational Church of Berkeley, from New England to Progressive Berkeley
By Rachel Witte




NBC Bay Area
Fire crews raced on Friday afternoon to battle a four-alarm fire at an iconic East Bay church just blocks away from the University of California at Berkeley campus. (Sept. 30, 2016)

A fire so intense it collapsed a roof raged at an iconic Berkeley church on Friday afternoon.

The four-alarm fire broke out at 12:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, a church and building that has played a significant role in the history of the city.

The building currently located at 2345 Channing Way was erected in 1925 and was designed by Bay Area architect Horace G. Simpson, according to the book Berkeley Walks: Revealing Rambles through America's Most Intriguing City.

It is the third building of worship for the church and was built in the period revival style, meant to evoke the architecture of early New England churches, according to local historian Steve Finacom. The congregationalist church movement began in New England in the 17th century.

According to its website, the Berkeley congregationalist church was founded on December 1, 1874. It was formed after then University of California President Daniel Gilman issued a call during his inaugural address for moral and religious institutions to build halls near the university.

"What church, what association, what individual will be the first to establish such a hall?" he asked.


The First Congregational Church of Berkeley answered that call. The church's first chapel was located on the southeast corner of Telegraph Avenue and Dwight Way in Berkeley. A second church was built on the northeast corner of Dana Street and Durant Street in 1884. The current church sits on the northwest corner of Dana Street and Channing Way.

Finacom also pointed to the the church's historical significance during the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s. When Berkeley's Japanese-American residents were ordered to report to a local fire station to be processed for internment, Finacom said the First Congregational Church of Berkeley stepped in. The church welcomed the residents to come to its church instead, where congregants could provide hospitality as the Japanese-American residents were processed by the U.S. Army.


"It was a wonderfully beautiful thing that the church did," Finacom said. "It's been a progressive church ever since."

The hall where those residents were cared for, Pilgrim Hall, is in the part of the building destroyed by Friday's fire, Finacom added.


Finacom said a different fire in the 1970s destroyed part of the church's north wing, but that area of the building was eventually rebuilt.