Nearly 70 firefighters responded to Madison church fire

(MADISON, Ind.) – Nearly 70 firefighters responded to the church fire in downtown Madison on Monday night. 

Crews were dispatched around 7 p.m. to Trinity Lutheran Church for a reported golf cart fire that extended to the structure. 

Firefighters were on scene moments later and started an aggressive interior attack on the church.

“Due to the building’s construction type and rapidly deteriorating fire conditions, crews were forced to transition to defensive operations to ensure firefighter safety,” stated the Madison Fire Department. 

A large portion of the roof and the south second-floor wall collapsed around 8:30 p.m. 

“As a result of the structural collapse, an attached garage belonging to a neighboring residence suffered major damage,” firefighters added. 

Nobody was hurt and the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the City of Madison Fire Department.

“The Madison Fire Department would like to thank the community members and local businesses who supported first responders throughout the incident. Special thanks to Analog Coffee and Trouble Makers for making sure restrooms, food and drinks were provided till early hours of the morning,” the department said.

Agencies that responded included Madison Township, Hanover and Jeff-Craig fire departments, Norton King’s Daughters EMS, Madison Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Duke Energy, CenterPoint Energy, American Red Cross, Madison Street Department, Madison Water Department and Barnes Oil Fuel Truck.