After a fire broke out at the former St. Augustine Catholic Church in north St. Louis the night of March 18, 2024, the aftermath left the historic church without a roof on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
ST. LOUIS — A historic north St. Louis church caught fire Monday for the second time this year after being ruined in a 2022 blaze.
It marked the latest incident of old church buildings across the city being destroyed by fire in recent years.
“These churches are landmarks,” said Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. “You hate to lose them.”
Firefighters were called around 8:45 p.m. Monday to the 126-year-old St. Augustine Church at 3114 Lismore Street where they battled flames that consumed the structure and threatened to collapse the bell tower with its prominent steeple.
Within 45 minutes, firefighters had the blaze under control, Jenkerson said. But on Tuesday, the church’s remains — a collection of bricks, charred interior and collapsed walls — were a reminder of the loss of churches across the city that served as community centers and positional guides for decades.
Over time, the structure fell into disrepair. Vandals had stripped the structure of its copper, the upper balconies and archways fell, half of the windows were gone and water damaged the roof.
A fire scorched the building in 2022, leading to the collapse of some walls and thwarting a nonprofit’s effort to build a community center there. At the time, the building had no working utilities, but there were signs of possible squatters.
The city’s land bank took ownership of the building. Then, in January, the building caught fire again.
Jenkerson said the city fire department had surveyed the building as part of an effort launched in 2022 to assess vacant structures that may be a risk to firefighter safety.
When the call came in Monday, firefighters were prepared, Jenkerson said.
The first company arrived on the scene and took a defensive stand, trying to keep the fire from catching a rectory building and nearby houses. Within 10 minutes, they requested more manpower and equipment.
The biggest concern was keeping the church’s bell tower — topped with a large, heavy steeple and cross — from collapsing onto other buildings and firefighters, Jenkerson said. Crews requested more backup from hook and ladder trucks in order to stream water from up high.
“It got into (the bell tower) heavy, but with the amount of water we had, we were going to be able to bring it under control,” he said.
The cause of the fire is undetermined, but Jenkerson said there are a couple of possibilities: Homeless people often take shelter in vacant buildings during chilly nights and may try to light a fire to keep warm. There is a chance the fire was intentionally set. The building had no gas or utilities, so that rules out an electrical fire.
An investigation into the cause is ongoing.
Photos: Another fire adds to the long, slow decline of former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Late night fire rips through former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Late night fire rips through former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Late night fire rips through former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Late night fire rips through former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Late night fire rips through former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Damage seen after three-alarm fire at former St. Augustine Catholic church
March 2024: Fire destroys roof of former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Fire destroys roof of former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2024: Damage seen after three-alarm fire at former St. Augustine Catholic church
March 2024: Damage seen after three-alarm fire at former St. Augustine Catholic church
January 2024: Another fire at vacant former St. Augustine church in St. Louis
January 2024: Another fire at vacant former St. Augustine church in St. Louis
January 2024: Another fire at vacant former St. Augustine church in St. Louis
Video: December 2022 fire damages historic, but vacant, St. Augustine Church
December 2022: Fire causes further damage to former St. Augustine Catholic Churchn fire
December 2022: Fire causes further damage to former St. Augustine Catholic Church
December 2022: Fire causes further damage to former St. Augustine Catholic Church
December 2022: Fire causes further damage to former St. Augustine Catholic Church
December 2022: Fire guts former St. Augustine Catholic Church
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
March 2020: New owners of former St. Augustine Catholic Church have big plans
A historic north St. Louis church is set to be demolished, a decision that comes about a week after it caught fire for the third time in two years.
The St. Louis Fire Department uses aerial units to put water on a three-alarm fire in the former St. Augustine Catholic Church at Hebert and Lismore streets on Monday, March 18, 2024, in north St. Louis.
The gutted interior of the former St. Augustine Catholic Church is seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, following a fire on Monday night at the historic church at Hebert and Lismore streets in north St. Louis city. The third fire at the building in three years caused the roof to collapse.