Fire on altar forces evacuation of Hawthorne church

Hawthorne FD responded to a 911 telephone call report of a working fire inside of the United Methodist Church, 452 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne on Sunday morning, 01/28. Radio reports from PD units arriving at the scene reported that the church altar had caught fire, but was extinguished upon their arrival. FD personnel removed the still smoking altar from the building and used thermal imaging cameras to ensure that there had been no fire extending to the structure. Ventilation was also performed by FD personnel. No injuries were reported by any of the church staff, nor by any member of the congregation. Hawthorne PD provided traffic control during the incident.