Fire Extinguished at Historic Church in Winder

Firefighters and emergency personnel with the city of Winder and responded Sunday to a reported church fire at Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in Winder.

At 11:06 a.m. April 24, Winder engines 1 and 2, Winder Ladder 1 and Barrow County Med 3 were dispatched to 71 W. Candler St. in response to the reported fire.

Winder Engine 1 arrived on scene and found light smoke showing from the basement. Because of the potential fire load in the building and exposure problems, Barrow County Truck 7 and Barrow County Engine 6 was asked to respond as well.

With the aid of a Thermal Imaging Camera, a small fire was detected in the basement and extinguished. Because of the age of the building there were concerns the fire could have traveled up walls into hidden spaces. Floors and walls were checked for extensions, but none were found.

At 1:31 p.m. the building was deemed safe by command and turned over to the owner. Fire crews stayed at the scene until 5 p.m. to assure the safety of the historic building.

No injuries were reported.