3 firefighters injured in blaze that destroyed historic church

Three firefighters were injured in the blaze that damaged a historic church building in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, earlier this week, though they have since returned to duty.

A fire broke out at the Seventh-day Adventist building on the campus of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church just before 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to local News 8.

The Grand Rapids Fire Department initially reported to local media that four firefighters had been injured battling the blaze into the morning, though that number was later reduced to three, two of whom were hurt by falling bricks. All have reportedly since been released back to full duty after being treated at an emergency room.

Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has stood for well over a century.

It is no more.

The latest to “catch fire”. pic.twitter.com/iqd6VPXaAo

— Tommy Robinson ???????? (@TRobinsonNewEra) August 27, 2026

Captain Ryan Sparks told the local outlet that the fire, which caused significant damage as it tore through the building’s basement and main level, was particularly hard to contain as firefighters worked for hours.

“It was full of smoke, zero visibility, lots of staircases going in different directions, but they were able to get to the fire with water on it in six minutes,” he said.

“Churches in themselves are a challenge from the get-go. … A building like this size, before the fire even shows itself, it fills up that entire building with smoke. So, we don’t know that the fire is even showing until it breaks out a window, or until there’s so much smoke in that building that starts pushing out through the roof or vents or things like that.”

“This fire burned a long time before we were even notified, potentially hours before we were notified,” he added.

The building was originally built in 1894 by the All Souls Universalist congregation and designed by Canadian-born architect William George Robinson, according to MIGenWeb.

The Rev. Peter Jonker, one of the pastors at the church, told News 8 that he was saddened by the destruction that has hampered their plans for the structure.

“I’m really sad. Both because it’s a beautiful building and part of our city, but also for us, we had some really significant ministry plans. We’re in an area where there’s a lot of neighbors who are housing-challenged. And we were working with Mel Trotter [Ministries]. We were working with Degage [Ministries] and some neighboring churches downtown to create a center there,” he said.

“We had done a lot of work, been to a lot of meetings, spent a good deal of money, preparing for this. And it was going to be in that building. And now, those plans, we’re going to have to revisit how we’re going to do that,” he added.

Jonker went on to express faith in God despite the setback.

“We’ll meet, and we’ll pray, and we’ll figure out what God has in store,” he said. “We still want to do something. This obviously complicates our timeline. But, yeah, we’re here for it. We’re here for the city. And, we’ll prayerfully go forward.”