St. William Catholic Church in Avondale 'totally destroyed' in overnight fire
A Catholic church in the Avondale area suffered a devastating fire early on Thursday morning.
St. William Catholic Church, located on West Third Street in Cashion near South 11th Avenue and West Buckeye Road, is nearly destroyed, according to a statement on Facebook.
"As many of you know, we had a major fire on campus very early this morning, and it appears the church has been totally destroyed. Thankfully, no one was injured, and everyone is safe," read a Thursday post by Rev. Andres Arango on Facebook.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by officials, Arango wrote. Fire officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix spokesman Brett Meister told The Arizona Republic that insurance would determine the extent of the damage. The church grounds are currently fenced off, according to Meister. "It's pretty evident. The church, the classrooms and the parish hall are virtually irreparable," he said, adding that the cause did not appear to be foul play.
Services are held in English and Spanish at St. William, and most churches within the diocese hold daily mass, according to Meister. Meister said the church's parishioners, which are made up of 1,000 families, may attend additional Mass services for Sunday at the nearby Santa Maria de Guadalupe Mission on West Lower Buckeye Road and South 67th Avenue.
St. William Mission began in the late 1960s, being elevated to parish status in 1973, Meister added. Following renovations, a former Southern Baptist house of worship was formally dedicated as the church in 1982, he said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: St. William Catholic Church in Avondale destroyed in fire
