Excerpts from wifr.com:
Edward Wash plead guilty to three counts of arson and will be sentenced on June 15. The 28-year-old man was found guilty of arson following three fires Sept. 2; one of those fires destroyed the former Metro Christian Centre Church.
The first fire happened at 6:24 p.m. at the church. At approximately 8 p.m., crews were dispatched to another structure fire at 313 7th St., and then at 8:09 p.m., the department responded to a dumpster fire at 125 South Madison St.
Excerpts from WIFR.com:
One of Rockford’s oldest churches, the former Metro Christian Center Church, was destroyed Wednesday night. The building had been condemned for several years and many doors and windows had been boarded up. There was no electricity inside the building. The Rockford Fire Department is opening an arson investigation. The church was a downtown staple for many years.
Heavy clouds of smoke covered downtown as the church was engulfed in fire and dozens of trucks surrounded the structure as parts of it fell to the street. Fire crews say the fire spread very quickly because the structure is made of wood and firefighters didn’t go into the building because the rooftop has asbestos. The damages are estimated at $300,000.
Photos from Tim Olk of the 3-Alarm fire in Rockford, 9-2-20
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Excerpts from wrex.com:
Thirty firefighters, five Rockford fire engines, and three ladders responded to a nearly 150-year-old abandoned church fire Wednesday night at 607 Walnut St., at 6:24 p.m., and quickly spread because of the wooden structure. The church has been abandoned for several years. Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said he anticipates Kishwaukee and Walnut streets to be closed until morning.
A cause of the fire is still unknown. There was no power to the church, which rules out an electrical issue. Investigators interviewed neighbors and ask the public for any information on how the fire started.
According to inscriptions on the church, it was formerly the Rockford Masonic Cathedral. The year 1869 was etched into one of its walls. At one point it became the Metro Christian Center.
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
