8:57pm Update – Marshfield Fire & Rescue continues to watch the structure for any residual fires. An excavation crew is on-scene. According to Deputy Chief Troy Weiland, the demolition of the roof and windows this afternoon were necessary both for safety reasons and to provide access to the interior of the structure to fight the fire. There was no one in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported. Check back tomorrow for a video update.
Marshfield Fire and Rescue is currently fighting a structure fire at the corner of Third St and South Maple Ave in Downtown Marshfield.
Wesley United Methodist Church is the structure that is on fire. At approximately 2:00pm, smoke was seen streaming from a downstairs window early this afternoon. John Hatala noticed the smoke and his wife called 9-1-1.
“I saw flames and it totally caught me off guard,” said Hatala, who credits MFRD for arriving extremely quickly.
“They were here within a minute. They were insanely fast,” he said.
Amber Walsh lives two houses down from Wesley United and her children often enjoy playing on the church steps. She said there was no sign of fire when her in-laws visited around 12:30. MFRD asked her to evacuate her home at about 3:10pm.
“The smoke was so thick we couldn’t see out the window facing the church half the time,” she told OnFocus.
This is a developing story. More updates to follow. We ask that you stay clear of the area and allow for Public Safety officials to attend to the fire.
Video courtesy of Rebecca Spiros:
