IONIA, Mich. — Six fire departments were working on Washington Street on Thursday evening, after a local church caught fire in Ionia.
Ionia County dispatchers said that crews were called to the scene for a fully involved fire.
Crews responded to the church around 5:40 pm, and crews were still on scene hours later.
Authorities confirmed the fire was under control by 9:00 pm.
No one was hurt, though the Ionia Department of Public Safety says there were about twenty people inside the building when the fire started.
FOX17 crews on scene noticed signs around the church, advertising a soup kitchen event on Thursday evenings.
Ionia Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Kevin Heinlein says this church has a huge impact on the community and does a lot of work to feed people experiencing homelessness.
Heinlein says the church is the site of a food pantry.
Pastor Chris Moore, who's led the church since July, explained that the food pantry ministry was started in 1986.
He tells FOX 17 the congregation— which only numbers about 30— handed out over 3,000 boxes of food to people from all over Ionia County.
For Pastor Moore, people were at the forefront of his mind on Thursday. "The church is not a building. The church is the people. We're thankful we have what we have. We're going to go on."
Moore said he and his congregation will be doing whatever they can resume handing out food to the community as soon as possible.
The cause of the fire, however, is still unclear.
According to Zion United Methodist Church's website, the building on Washington Street was constructed in 1886. While the church has completed some updates, the sanctuary is still "basically the same."
At this time, fire crews believe the damages were contained to the newer additions to the church building.
