Alvarado
Quick response from firefighters helped save Alvarado church
Rapid response time from Alvarado firefighters may have saved the bulk of historic Willow Springs Baptist Church after fire broke out Saturday night.
Capt. Joel Marrs, firefighters Brian Mathis and Ed Kopnick and volunteer Ivan Cox were all on duty at Alvarado Fire Department when the call came in at 7:03 p.m.
The fire crew arrived at the church, located four miles east of the city on Farm-to-Market Road 1807, at 7:11.
Three paid firefighters man each shift at AFD. Marrs, Mathis and Kopnick are paid.
That was the reason for the quick turnaround, chief Richard Van Winkle said.
“Oh, yes. Had the response been delayed, the fire really would have blossomed and probably taken down the whole structure. We were able to arrive quickly with four people.”
Units from Keene, Venus and Grandview also responded.
“Keene responded pretty quickly, too,” Van Winkle said. “They have paid firefighters at their station.”
When Alvarado firefighters arrived at the inferno, Van Winkle said, they discovered “fire in the main entry to the sanctuary,” he said. “The fire had made it into the attic. It really hadn’t gotten very big. It looked bigger than it was. Our guys were able to get inside and pull the ceiling down. They got the fire cut off and ventilated it to keep it in that area.”
The damage was primarily confined to the sanctuary, Van Winkle said.
“And probably half the roof had some damage. We caused some of that pulling the ceiling down. There were two ceilings. One was probably the original ceiling. There was smoke damage to the rest of the building, but the structure is salvageable.”
Cause of the fire was undetermined as of Monday.
“It appears to have been accidental,” Van Winkle said. “We don’t suspect anything. People at the church said the building had some old wiring.”
The church recently celebrated its 120th anniversary. It was chartered on June 18, 1888, and has operated continuously.
It is listed as a historical site with the Johnson County Historical Preservation Society.
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