Firefighters save Hebron church after steeple cross catches fire: ‘Could have been a tinderbox’

The pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hebron praised first responders who battled a blaze late Thursday that apparently began when lightning hit an electric cross atop the steeple.

The fire sent flames into the sky that could be seen for miles, and the Rev. Debbie Kelly said the ability of firefighters to keep the building standing – while working in pounding rain and thunder – “that’s the amazing part.”

“That cross was literally blazing. ... That could have been a tinderbox,” Kelly said early Friday. “We are so grateful to the firefighters.”

The Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded along with several other area departments.

The structure, built in the 1890s, didn’t escape damage altogether. The extent is yet to be determined, but there is water damage inside and no utilities available.

Elizabeth Milazzo lives nearby and said her husband saw flames shooting from the church and ran outside to warn others.

Kelly learned of the fire late Thursday when a parishioner who is also a firefighter contacted her. She rushed to the scene and headed back there Friday morning to begin next steps.

Kelly said the congregation had already planned to worship at its outdoor pavilion this Sunday, as it did regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that too has been called into question.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but we never know what’s going to happen,” Kelly said. “But God is good.”