Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― An extra-alarm fire Wednesday morning at the historic Holy Name Cathedral caused major damage to the roof and sanctuary.

A worker first spotted flames just after 5:30 a.m. at the cathedral at 735 N. State St., which just reopened in November after a series of renovations. The cathedral is a city landmark and the seat of the Chicago Archdiocese.

Officials said the first fire engines arrived within two minutes to find fire burning in the area between the roof and decorative ceiling. 

HOLY NAME FIRE: The Cathedral's Proud History
HOLY NAME FIRE: Share your memories in words and pictures.

By 5:39 a.m., with flames violently shooting through the roof, the call went out for additional firefighters. Within another 15 minutes the fire was raised to a 2-11 alarm – largely due to the high ceilings. A 3-11 alarm was later called.

By 6:20 a.m., the massive metal doors of the church were open and water could be seen dripping on the altar.

At its peak, fire officials said 45 fire companies and at least 121 personnel battled the blaze. They had a handle on the fire at 7 a.m., but the alarm was not struck out until 8 a.m.

Before that, flames were shooting through the roof around the middle portion of the church sanctuary. The fire was burning right above the area with the altar, where past cardinals' hats, or galeros, and other artifacts are kept.

Flames spared the sanctuary, although the interior of the cathedral sustained severe water damage. As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, the fire could have been far worse if not for early detection, quick response and effective, efficient firefighting.

It was a tough fire to fight. It was contained in an area, like an attic between the 15-story tall ceiling and the roof, where crews had spent the better part of the last year reinforcing wooden beams dating back to the cathedral's construction 134 years ago.

The extent of damage to the roof was visible from the building across the street. Some of the damage was from the fire, some was caused by holes firefighters had to punch to fight it. Surrounding it was the scaffolding used by workers, who had been replacing the wooden beams with steel supports for the past year.

"To be up in an attic walking on a catwalk, putting out fires as you're walking along a trail, that's something I can't even imagine," said Rev. Daniel Mayall, pastor of the cathedral. "And that's what they did. That's what he told me they did."

The flames were already peeking through the Cathedral's roofline when the priests sleeping inside the attached rectory were awakened and told to get out.

Fr. Matt Compton, one of the associate pastors, pounded on the doors. He'd seen the fire engines and thought it best to get everyone out.

"There were a lot of firemen here when I got out at 5:30," Compton said.

"I heard about it with a knock on the door this morning from one of the associate pastors. He said that the cathedral was on fire," Rev. Mayall said. "My understanding is that it was reported by one of the workmen doing the work up in the attic between 5 and 6 this morning."

A church leader who's lived and worked there for 44 years was still sleeping in the rectory as the fire broke out.

"I was sound asleep and all of a sudden somebody comes in to wake you up, and say the cathedral's on fire," said retired Bishop Timothy Lyne.

Lyne has spent more than half of his 89 years at Holy Name - first as pastor, then as auxiliary bishop.

This morning, as he rushed from the building; looking back at the flames, he had just one thought.

"Will the whole thing collapse?" Lyne said.

And in fact, it could have, had it not been for the work of Chicago firefighters, and how they went about their job.

"The firemen on this job did extraordinary work, above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they were saving something," Rev. Mayall said.

The blaze was centered in a void space between the roof and the ornamental ceiling.

"We got here rapidly, about two minutes; got our lines in place" said Fire Commissioner John W. Brooks. "No water problems, so they did very good in attacking this fire."

One firefighter hurt his back while fighting the blaze and hospitalized in fair condition.

By midday, they were already cleaning up the water, just about the only visible sign of fire, with the exception of the damage to that pillar, where water from firefighters' trying to put the blaze had cascaded down from the attic. In fact, you could still see water coming down from the ceiling.

Parishioners had already been displaced by repairs for most of last year. They're now facing another extended period to rebuild the roof, and a bill far in excess of the current $8 million renovation.

"We're going to need a lot of assistance to pull this one off," said Archdiocese Director of Development Raymond Coughlin.

Fire, Water Damage Extensive
Firefighters were both outside, and inside, wading through ankle deep water which covered the sanctuary floor. They were perched on 10 story-tall ladders, directing powerful streams on water at the fire which had spread north and south, east and west inside the vaulted roof of the landmark church.

The worst damage that Chicago firefighter Bob Garza saw was "to the marble and plaster columns. That was literally coming apart."

"I don't think the main floor was a lot of damage," Garza said. "I don't think it was as bad as one might have thought."

"I think by us responding quickly, we eliminated as much damage as possible," said Chicago firefighter Tony Bedolla.

They'd already been here for three hours and were just mopping up by the time Cardinal George arrived to inspect the cathedral and give his thanks.

Cardinal George was notified around 6 a.m., and offered to come ride over, but he was told to wait until he could get inside to inspect the damage.

"As you walk into the cathedral, at first glance, everything is intact, and then you notice there are icicles on the pews, and there's water on the floor, and there's water pouring through the electrical installations," George said. "The electricity is on, the gas is on; we didn't have to turn anything off, so the cathedral is bright and lit, but there is water coming through the light fixtures -- lots of it. I was with the rabbi who is the chaplain for the Fire Department. He was trying to part the water once again, but he didn't quite succeed."

George also said the fire damaged the roof to the point where it will probably have to be rebuilt.

"I'm just grateful to God that the damage isn't worse than it was," George said. "Chicago has always bounced back from fires, and so I'm hopeful that we can bounce back from this."

Everyone escaped from the building safely and no one was injured, officials said. The sacramental relics were also removed safely. But there were numerous other problems.

The Fire Department released a video surveying the damage around 10 a.m. The hallway of the rectory behind the main building was submerged in several inches of gray, murky water. In the sanctuary, water poured through the ornate walnut ceiling, and 1 to 2 inches of water submerged some of the aisles.

Cardinal George said the main cathedral organ did not appear to be damaged.

The five galeros hanging from the ceiling were still in place on the ceiling. The galeros belonged to late cardinals Mundelein, Stritch, Meyer, Cody and Bernardin.

But while firefighters were still pouring water into the attic, they had already started pumping out the basement.

Cardinal George said he is certain the parishioners will be resilient.

"We were out of the cathedral for so long because what started as a small problem in decoration became a structural problem, and now we have a fire problem," George said. "But that's a reason to think the Cathedral Parish will bounce back once again." 

The cause of the fire remains a mystery. Cardinal George said there were no flammable materials or torches used in the renovation project, and the investigation by the Fire Department has yet to begin.

While the investigation into what caused the blaze is now focused electrical problems, the effort to rebuild is already being planned. The loss, Holy Name's pastor said, measured in more than just dollars.

"This is a problem for our church, but this is also a Chicago problem too," Rev. Mayall said. "This is where Chicago goes to pray. To see us handicapped is disturbing to not only you and me, but everyone."

Mayall said about 4,500 people attend mass at the historic cathedral on any given weekday.

All scheduled masses the cathedral for the rest of the week, as well as this weekend, will be held at the same times, but they will be moved to other parish facilities.

Daily Masses will resume Thursday in the Club Room located in the Lower Level of the Parish Center, just north of the cathedral, according to a release from the Archdiocese of Chicago. The weekday Masses are at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

All scheduled Masses this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, will be moved to the Cathedral Parish Auditorium. The auditorium is the building just north of the cathedral.

The location of other special events will be announced when alternate locations are determined, according to the archdiocese. A Boy Scout awards ceremony previously scheduled for Sunday afternoon has been postponed.

CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez, Chief Correspondent Jay Levine, Susan Carlson, Joanie Lum, Bill Zwecker and Kris Habermehl, the Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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