Historic Friendship Baptist Church Destroyed by Overnight Fire in Cleveland
Central Ave & E 55th St
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Summary
- A dramatic overnight fire tore through a vacant Cleveland landmark, sending flames high enough to be visible from a bridge near downtown.
- The blaze consumed the now-vacant Friendship Baptist Church on the city's east side, leaving debris and ash scattered across nearby streets by the time crews got it under control.
- Investigators are now working to piece together both what sparked the fire and the building's history, while crews remain on scene for hours gathering information from witnesses and residents.
Timeline
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and it was not immediately clear whether the church had been in active use.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours to process the area and gather information from witnesses and nearby residents.
Multiple ladder trucks were extended into the air, spraying water on the church from multiple angles. Debris, including ash and pieces of the church, littered the surrounding streets.
Cleveland Fire said flames were shooting from the roof when crews arrived, coming at them from every angle. The fire was visible from multiple areas across the city.
A massive fire broke out at the vacant Friendship Baptist Church on Cleveland's east side just before 2 a.m. Friday at East 55th Street and Central Avenue.
A Citizen user's video shows heavy fire from the building.
Firefighters advise that this is a two-alarm fire.
A 911 caller has reported an unconfirmed incident at Central Ave & E 55th St.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and it was not immediately clear whether the church had been in active use.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours to process the area and gather information from witnesses and nearby residents.
Multiple ladder trucks were extended into the air, spraying water on the church from multiple angles. Debris, including ash and pieces of the church, littered the surrounding streets.
Cleveland Fire said flames were shooting from the roof when crews arrived, coming at them from every angle. The fire was visible from multiple areas across the city.
A massive fire broke out at the vacant Friendship Baptist Church on Cleveland's east side just before 2 a.m. Friday at East 55th Street and Central Avenue.
A Citizen user's video shows heavy fire from the building.
Firefighters advise that this is a two-alarm fire.
A 911 caller has reported an unconfirmed incident at Central Ave & E 55th St.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and it was not immediately clear whether the church had been in active use.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours to process the area and gather information from witnesses and nearby residents.
Multiple ladder trucks were extended into the air, spraying water on the church from multiple angles. Debris, including ash and pieces of the church, littered the surrounding streets.
Cleveland Fire said flames were shooting from the roof when crews arrived, coming at them from every angle. The fire was visible from multiple areas across the city.
A massive fire broke out at the vacant Friendship Baptist Church on Cleveland's east side just before 2 a.m. Friday at East 55th Street and Central Avenue.
A Citizen user's video shows heavy fire from the building.
Firefighters advise that this is a two-alarm fire.
A 911 caller has reported an unconfirmed incident at Central Ave & E 55th St.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and it was not immediately clear whether the church had been in active use.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours to process the area and gather information from witnesses and nearby residents.
Multiple ladder trucks were extended into the air, spraying water on the church from multiple angles. Debris, including ash and pieces of the church, littered the surrounding streets.
Cleveland Fire said flames were shooting from the roof when crews arrived, coming at them from every angle. The fire was visible from multiple areas across the city.
A massive fire broke out at the vacant Friendship Baptist Church on Cleveland's east side just before 2 a.m. Friday at East 55th Street and Central Avenue.
A Citizen user's video shows heavy fire from the building.
Firefighters advise that this is a two-alarm fire.
A 911 caller has reported an unconfirmed incident at Central Ave & E 55th St.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and it was not immediately clear whether the church had been in active use.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours to process the area and gather information from witnesses and nearby residents.
Multiple ladder trucks were extended into the air, spraying water on the church from multiple angles. Debris, including ash and pieces of the church, littered the surrounding streets.
Cleveland Fire said flames were shooting from the roof when crews arrived, coming at them from every angle. The fire was visible from multiple areas across the city.
A massive fire broke out at the vacant Friendship Baptist Church on Cleveland's east side just before 2 a.m. Friday at East 55th Street and Central Avenue.
A Citizen user's video shows heavy fire from the building.
Firefighters advise that this is a two-alarm fire.
A 911 caller has reported an unconfirmed incident at Central Ave & E 55th St.
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Comments25
A lot of churches in New York have been torched most of them landmarks see what happens to the property afterwards I think there's something to these fires
I’m sure we can all guess who set the blaze
Whose dat.
Originally designed by Israel J. Lehman for Temple Tifereth Israel, it later housed Mt. Zion Congregational Church before becoming Friendship Baptist Church in 1940 and hosting civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Very sad to see this ,it was probably very beautiful in its prime 😢
Aw, looks like beautiful architecture
A lot of churches in New York have been torched most of them landmarks see what happens to the property afterwards I think there's something to these fires
I’m sure we can all guess who set the blaze
Whose dat.
Originally designed by Israel J. Lehman for Temple Tifereth Israel, it later housed Mt. Zion Congregational Church before becoming Friendship Baptist Church in 1940 and hosting civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Very sad to see this ,it was probably very beautiful in its prime 😢
Aw, looks like beautiful architecture
A lot of churches in New York have been torched most of them landmarks see what happens to the property afterwards I think there's something to these fires
I’m sure we can all guess who set the blaze
Whose dat.
Originally designed by Israel J. Lehman for Temple Tifereth Israel, it later housed Mt. Zion Congregational Church before becoming Friendship Baptist Church in 1940 and hosting civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Very sad to see this ,it was probably very beautiful in its prime 😢
Aw, looks like beautiful architecture
A lot of churches in New York have been torched most of them landmarks see what happens to the property afterwards I think there's something to these fires
I’m sure we can all guess who set the blaze
Whose dat.
Originally designed by Israel J. Lehman for Temple Tifereth Israel, it later housed Mt. Zion Congregational Church before becoming Friendship Baptist Church in 1940 and hosting civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Very sad to see this ,it was probably very beautiful in its prime 😢
Aw, looks like beautiful architecture
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A lot of churches in New York have been torched most of them landmarks see what happens to the property afterwards I think there's something to these fires
I’m sure we can all guess who set the blaze
Whose dat.
Originally designed by Israel J. Lehman for Temple Tifereth Israel, it later housed Mt. Zion Congregational Church before becoming Friendship Baptist Church in 1940 and hosting civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Very sad to see this ,it was probably very beautiful in its prime 😢
Aw, looks like beautiful architecture