Lightning Likely Cause of Kentucky Church Fire

A western Kentucky fire chief says lightning accompanying a storm likely caused a blaze that gutted the auditorium of a church in Owensboro and cut off power to the neighborhood, including Brescia University.

The fire started at about 3:30 CDT Monday and burned throughout the morning as firefighters poured more than 3,000 gallons of water a minute onto the First Christian Church Disciples of Christ Church. There were no injuries.

Fire Chief Steve Mitchell told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer the attic above the church auditorium was engulfed in flames and it wasn’t long before the roof collapsed.

Five nearby houses were evacuated. A power grid was shut down, cutting power to several blocks of homes and Brescia University.