UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Fire investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fire early Monday morning that ripped through one of the oldest Catholic churches in Union County.
The fire happened just before 5 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Deese Street in Monroe. The church was built in 1942.
Channel 9 was there as investigators surveyed the damage.
We learned that no one was at the church when the fire broke out, so there weren’t any injuries.
Investigators said it will take a day or two before they can pinpoint the cause of the fire, which damaged some offices and part of the sanctuary.
With the damage to the church, it’s not clear if parishioners will be able to worship in the building on Sunday or if they will have to find another location until the damage can be repaired.
“Please keep me and my staff and my parish at Our Lady of Lourdes in your prayers. The Lord is indeed with us during this time and thank you for your prayers as well,” the church’s pastor Rev Benjamin Roberts said on Facebook.
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/04-07-2020/t_f96cb2a8b16d4f8498606da8136ba1bc_name_Chopper_MNRE_plant_fire.jpg)
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/4SORQHWGRZHU3H3WUZMJ7URZRM.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/PNNUAVIIPBBHDDECHKR3LLGTL4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/GQKMK4XFLFC2TAAXXA4VPQTFWM.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LQEMBI2Y6JFZNOMSAVVWA2PPNY.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LVNB26EYA5CT7CPZVMNV75YRMA.jpeg)