Fire damages Modesto church hall filled with holiday boutique items

A hall filled with gift and Christmas items waiting to be sold at a holiday boutique was gutted early Saturday morning in a two-alarm fire at Holy Family Catholic Church.

Authorities said the 1:42 a.m. fire caused about $175,000 in damage to the church’s Nazareth Hall at Dale Road and Pelandale Avenue in north Modesto. There were no reports of injuries, and the church – housed in a separate building – was not damaged.

The boutique sale began Thursday evening and was supposed to run through Saturday, according to Antoinette Jardine, a member of the group that put together the event. Business was good Thursday and Friday, but the weekend run was cut short. Saturday afternoon, the blackened hall stood fenced off with debris scattered outside, a few Christmas decorations still attached to railings.

Numerous sale items were lost in the fire. Said Jardine, who was inside the church Saturday where afternoon confessions went on as usual: “Lots of nativity scenes, Christmas trees, stuffed animals … all destroyed.”

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke on the property, with fire burning in the Nazareth Hall’s attic, according to Battalion Chief Tim Tietjen of the Modesto Fire Department.

The crew quickly set up an attack and called for assistance. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes.

Tietjen said the total department response was seven engines, one truck, three chief officers and a fire investigator, for a total of 29 people. They remained on scene for cleanup until about 4:30 a.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A priest living on site, in another building not attached to the hall, was unaware of the blaze until firefighters arrived, Tietjen said.

Passers-by driving on Pelandale Avenue reported the fire.

This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 7:41 AM with the headline "Fire damages Modesto church hall filled with holiday boutique items."