2-Alarm Church Fire in The Downtown Area

WHAT: 2-Alarm Church fire.

WHEN: June 2, 2023 at 5:13 a.m.

WHERE: 1115 St. Joseph Parkway, 77002.

INJURIES: No reported injuries.

PROPERTY SAVED: $19,945,000 in estimated property saved.

DAMAGE: $55,000 in estimated damage.

CAUSE: HFD Arson investigators ruled the cause as accidental (fire at the battery bank for emergency lighting).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes to find smoke inside a church building and requested a second alarm due to the size of the structure and amount of smoke. They forced entry and ventilated the smoke from the structure. Crews extinguished the fire contained to a mechanical room with a battery back-up system. HFD Arson investigators were requested to determine the cause. 74 personnel responded to this incident, including firefighters from Stations 8, 16, 17, 15, 6, 19, 20, 7, 18, 24, 30, 33, Rescue 42 and Rehab 17.