By-Tor.com

In what officials are describing as likely a complete loss, the historic building was gutted by a blaze that began sometime overnight. By Friday afternoon what had once been a Utah landmark and city icon was little more than a charred shell belching ash onto mourning onlookers. Teams from Provo city and the LDS Church - which owns the building - planned to assess the damage Saturday morning. Fire marshal Lynn Schofield said that the investigation into the cause of the fire could involve weeks of sifting through debris. He guessed that likely damage costs would easily reach into the seven digits.

The tabernacle - which was begun in 1883 and completed in 1898 - was a centerpiece of Provo's historic downtown district. It served as a cultural hub for the community, hosting frequent concerts, LDS stake conferences and other events.

...

Fire officials said that alarms notified them of a blaze in the historic building at 2:43 a.m. Within minutes crews arrived on the scene. According to Deputy Chief Gary Jolley, those crews initially tried to enter the building through the front door, but quickly discovered that the fire was too large and that the building was unsafe. They retreated and took up defensive positions outside the building. Police also closed University Avenue between 100 South and Center Street to through traffic, and advised commuters to avoid the area at least until the end of the day.

By 4:30 a.m. crews were still struggling to contain the blaze. Jolley said that the fire department initially hoped to salvage the building, but added that it posed a unique challenge because of its size and the large wooden timbers used to support its roof.

"This is kind of the worst case scenario," Jolley said.

By 6 a.m. most of the tabernacle's roof had collapsed, pulling down the brick gables on the sides of the building with it. Jolley said that with the roof destroyed, his department's strategy involved spraying water down into the building from above with extended fire truck ladders. But the collapsed roof also meant that officials' desire to save the building was likely going up in smoke.

"It doesn't look very good right now," Schofield said early Friday morning. "There are some difficult decisions that are going to have to be made once this fire is out with what to do with this landmark."

CygnusX1 wrote:Hold up...this is GOOD NEWS for a change.

You gotta feel good for this guy:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/nba-tea ... ice-a-job/

ElfDude wrote: Man, The Blaze is such a great place to find the stories that most of the media is ignoring.

ElfDude wrote:It's local news, but it has me hurting inside. I remember a while back Dawn had started a church burnings thread, but I can't seem to locate it so I'll share this here...

Below is a picture of the LDS tabernacle in Provo, UT. It is a historic site. I've been to countless concerts and conferences in it. I've seen my siblings and children perform in it. Beautiful old building.

Fire guts Provo Tabernacle
December 17th, 2010 @ 7:36am

By ksl.com

PROVO -- Smoke is billowing from the top of the Provo Tabernacle as firefighters battle to save the historic building.

Authorities say a security guard noticed the fire and called it in at 2:43 a.m. Provo Fire Marshal and Battalion Chief Lynn Scofield told KSL when firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was pouring from the upper levels. Crews considered an offensive approach but when they tried to enter the building they determined it wasn't safe. They have been fighting it defensively from the outside ever since.

Flames continue to leap from the top of the building at 100 S. University Ave. The entire roof collapsed around 6 a.m. and Scofield said parts of some walls have come down. Our crews on the scene said smoke has poured from every window and door in the building.

When asked if the building is likely to be a complete loss, Scofield said, "It's not looking really good at this point." However, he said that will not be determined until crews get a look inside the building.

No word yet on what caused the fire but crews believe it may have started in the upper levels. No injuries are reported.

If this is arson...

Soup4Rush wrote: Apparently my little town of Fort Wayne.. the Brussels of the Midwest