Crime & Safety
Historic Church Gutted By Intentionally Set Blaze, OCFA Reports
Flames ignited the abandoned landmark Orange County church in the early morning hours one week ago.
SANTA ANA, CA — A landmark church was destroyed last week after a four-alarm blaze gutted the structure. On Wednesday, investigators at Orange County Fire Authority declared the fire was intentionally set. No arrests have been made, according to officials.
The abandoned church, the former United Presbyterian church at 113- 115 E. Santa Ana Blvd., caught fire just before 2:30 a.m. last Thursday. A conflagration raged for hours (see video here) before it was extinguished.
Since transients were known to frequent the building, authorities spent a few days searching for potential victims but did not find any, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
None of the 100 firefighters who battled the blaze for about two hours were hurt as they extinguished the flames in the three-story structure.
The building was constructed in 1911 and formerly housed the church, but was later home to Templo Calvario and the Orange County Pacific Symphony.
Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
