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Fire destroys building at St. Lawrence Seminary
Fire destroys building at St. Lawrence Seminary
FOND DU LAC CO. (WITI) -- Dozens of crews responded to an early morning fire Saturday, March 8th at St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Fond du Lac County -- where 190 students live on campus.
The blaze destroyed one of the school's buildings. St. Joseph Hall is where students studied and played music.
"Everything's gone. I can't practice anymore. All the instruments are ruined," said Danny Matthew, one of St. Lawrence's most decorated musicians.
Officials say an alarm was triggered just after 5:30 a.m. Saturday. A maintenance working spotted smoke coming from the building.
St. Joseph Hall is the oldest building on the campus. It was built about a decade after the school opened in 1860.
"Many different staff members' work has gone up in flames, so to speak," said Father John Holly. "Thank God no one was in the building."
41 departments from around the area fought the fire for hours, hauling water up to the seminary.
"I won't say it's the biggest fire we ever had, but it's the most units we needed with being up on top of the hill," said Mt. Calvary Fire Chief Mark Petrie.
School leaders say there will be no interruption of studies and classes at the school will resume on Monday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The isn't the first time the seminary has been devastated by fire. A blaze on Christmas night in 1868 burned an entire building to the ground.