Fire Severely Damages St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wessington Springs
Smoke billows from the front entrance of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wessington Springs Friday morning as firefighters work at the scene after a fire was reported shortly after 9 a.m. (KRISTI HINE / TRUE DAKOTAN)
Extensive fire damage is seen inside the sanctuary of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where heat, smoke, and water caused significant destruction to the sacred space. (PHOTO COURTESY AMBER KOLOUSEK)
Padre David Garza kneels in prayer with the tabernacle as firefighters Blake Willman, Jarrod Bultsma, Ryder Schweitzer and Mike Mebius stand nearby. Bultsma and Schweitzer were the firefighters who carefully carried the tabernacle out of St. Joseph Catholic Church during Friday morning’s fire. (PHOTO COURTESY CINDY HINE)
The first St. Joseph’s Church structure built in 1905 was completely destroyed by a tornado in 1924. The church was later rebuilt and dedicated in 1950, (PHOTO FROM THE ST. JOSEPH 75TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK, PUBLISHED IN 1980)
Thick smoke billowed from the roofline of St. Joseph Catholic Church as firefighters arrived Friday morning, an immediate sign that significant damage was already unfolding inside.The Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched after reports of smoke billowing from roof vents and eaves on the west side of the building. Firefighters worked in rotating teams amid intense he...
