No injuries reported following church fire in Ottawa's southwest

No injuries were reported following a fire at a 150-year-old church in Richmond on Wednesday night, southwest of Ottawa, Ottawa Fire Services says.

Ottawa fire says crews received a call at around 9:18 p.m. reporting smoke and flames coming from the steeple of the St. Philip Parish and St. Clare Mission church in the 100 block of Burke Street.

Three minutes into the initial call, firefighters were on scene fighting the fire.

Since the fire happened in a part of the city with no hydrants, crews used tanker trucks to shuttle in water from a nearby water source, Ottawa fire says.

The steeple cross collapsed in front of St. Philip Parish and St. Clare Mission church following a fire on Feb 15, 2024. (Sam Houpt/CTV News)

Though no injuries were reported as there were no occupants inside the church, the risk of the steeple/cross collapsing created a hazard on scene for firefighters.

“Our crews re-positioned trucks and firefighters away from the collapse zone. The cross did eventually collapse but no firefighters were injured. Aerial ladders were used to attack the fire and to work from the top using saws to open up areas of the steeple to check for any fire extensions,” said Ottawa Fire Services.

The fire was declared under control shortly after 11 p.m.

 "The great thing, apart from nobody being injured at all, is that the main body of the church seems to have escaped damage," Father Bob Poole told CTV News Ottawa.

"There's some damage to the tower, the bell tower and the cross that was on top of the tower was destroyed, and we expect some water damages through the tower into the lobby of the church. So, we're waiting to see how serious that is."

A fire damaged the steeple at St. Philip Parish on Burke Street in Richmond, Ont. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa)

Crews fully opened several parts of the tin roof to fully expose the interior supports of the steeple which “were all heavily charred.” And to protect the church from water damage, firefighters” performed salvage operations inside using tarps.”

The church said in a statement on Thursday that masses this weekend will be held in the Church Hall.

"We are still awaiting official notice as to the cause of the fire, but it looks for now as if some electrical fault in the wire leading up to the cross is responsible," Poole said in the statement. "At the moment, we are concentrating on cleaning up the debris from the blaze."

The parish dates back to 1819 and the current building is over 150-years-old.

"It's amazing how many people have reached out,” said Poole.

"The local churches have reached out and offered help and expressed condolences – I think that speaks to the sense of community here."

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Sam Houpt

The front entrance of St. Philip Parish remains littered with debris, and was blocked off for safety on Feb. 15, 2024. (Sam Houpt/CTV News)