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St. Paul News
MPR News Staff

Lightning believed to be cause of fire that burned steeple of historic St. Paul church

The steeple of a historic church is engulfed in flames
The steeple of a historic church on Farrington Street in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood is engulfed in flames on Thursday evening. The fire is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.
Courtesy St. Paul Fire Department

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Lightning is believed to be the cause of a fire that burned the steeple of a historic church in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood on Thursday evening.

The St. Paul Fire Department said the fire was reported just before 5:30 p.m. on the 500 block of Farrington Street, a block north of University Avenue.

The steeple was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived, but they were able to prevent the fire from spreading inside the building. No one was injured.

There are street and sidewalk closures in the immediate area because the fire left the steeple structurally unstable.

“There does not appear to be substantial fire damage inside,” the fire department reported. “However, the effects of interior water damage needs to be assessed.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials said lightning is suspected to have sparked the fire.

According to information from Historic St. Paul, the building is the former Trinity Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. It dates back to 1902.

Elsewhere in Minnesota on Thursday, lightning also caused damage to a home in Cloquet.

The Cloquet Area Fire District reported that the home on Washington Avenue was struck by lightning as storms moved through during the afternoon.

“CAFD crews conducted a thorough investigation and discovered significant damage to both the interior and exterior of the home, likely due to the lightning strike. Damage was also noted in the yard,” the fire district reported. There were no reports of injuries.

Another fire destroyed several buildings on the grounds of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival near Shakopee on Thursday night. It also happened while storms were moving through, but authorities have not said whether they believe it was sparked by lightning.