A fire tore through the long-vacant former St. Agnes Church in Toledo's Five Points neighborhood early Saturday morning, collapsing the historic building's steeple and forcing crews to level what remained within a day. Now investigators are searching the rubble and checking area hospitals and shelters for a man and woman known to occupy the building, whose identities remain unknown.
Toledo Fire & Rescue crews responded around 6:30 a.m. Saturday to heavy smoke and flames pushing through the roof at the former church on Martha Avenue, according to WTOL. Firefighters launched an immediate defensive exterior attack rather than entering the structure, keeping their distance because of the risk of collapse, the station reports. As Cleveland.com notes, the fire caused the church's steeple to come crashing down as it burned.
A fire department spokesperson told WTOL that no evidence of human remains has been found in the rubble so far, and the department said it believed the church was vacant when it caught fire. Even so, authorities learned that a man and woman were known to occupy the building, and searchers are now working to locate them. The fire department is conducting a careful, methodical search of the debris as the effort continues.
Fire Cause Remains Under Investigation
Fire Cause Remains Under Investigation The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities are investigating the fire's origin, per the same WTOL report. Toledo Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Pvt. Sheldon Collins said authorities are asking anyone with information about the fire or the missing pair to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers by calling or texting 419-255-1111, according to the Toledo Blade.
Search teams have continued sifting through the debris while checking regional shelters and medical facilities for any trace of the missing man and woman. Their disappearance remains the central unresolved question hanging over the case as demolition crews finish their work at the site.
A 116-Year-Old Landmark Reduced to Rubble
St. Agnes opened in 1910 and closed in 2004, the Blade reported. The building was vacant when it caught fire. The church's ownership was not detailed in the reports.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz called the loss of St. Agnes devastating, describing it as truly one of the most beautiful churches in Toledo, and said he was heartened that nobody was hurt, according to The Catholic Herald. City demolition crews began dismantling the fire-damaged remnants of the church Saturday afternoon and finished leveling the structure by Sunday.
Charter School Next Door Felt the Impact
The fire's reach extended beyond the church itself. The former parochial school building next door houses the Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Excellence charter school. The school suffered minor window and smoke damage.
The blaze also underscores a recurring hazard in Toledo: vacant buildings. Firefighters fought the blaze defensively from the outside because of the risk of collapse.
