St. Francis seminary fire damages 170-year-old building
St. Francis seminary fire
No one was hurt after a fire broke out at a 170-year-old seminary building in St. Francis, currently undergoing extensive renovations, as contractors worked on the building’s porch.
ST. FRANCIS, Wis. - No one was hurt after a fire broke out at a 170-year-old St. Francis seminary building, currently undergoing extensive renovations, as contractors worked on the building’s porch.
St. Francis seminary fire
What we know:
The St. Francis Fire Department said the fire started at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary’s Henni Hall at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 – with reports it extended into the walls of the building. Officials said the fire was quickly brought under control, and the cause and extent of the damage is under investigation.
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"I would say any damage to an 1800s building is extensive, but being that it is exterior in nature, things that have to be identified are smoke damage, water damage, things of that nature, so that's all way down the line," said St. Francis Fire Capt. Andrew Jensen.
Fire damages Saint Francis de Sales Seminary
Video of the damage to the four-story Italianate-style building, built in 1856, appears to show the fire extended up the wood portico set atop a steel-frame base that appears to be under construction.
"A fire started this morning during construction on the front porch of Henni Hall at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary," Rev. Luke Strand, the Catholic order’s rector, said in an email to FOX6. "The fire has been extinguished, and the cause is under investigation by the fire department. No injuries were reported."
St. Francis seminary restoration
The backstory:
Last spring, the seminary broke ground on a $75 million restoration on Henni Hall and adjacent buildings on the seminary’s sprawling campus along South Lake Drive in St. Francis.
The order said the buildings used by priests-in-training – including the 1856-built Henni Hall – have gone untouched for decades. While growth over the last decade has ballooned to 90 seminarians in facilities meant for 35.
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The restoration involves extensive interior and exterior work, mechanical upgrades, restoration and new construction, with the goal for seminarians to move into the order’s house of formation this fall.
Last August, storms and flooding impacted the work, causing a portion of a roof to collapse.
It’s unclear how the fire may impact the project’s anticipated completion.
The Source: FOX6 News was at the scene of the fire and gathered information from the St. Francis Fire Department.