Cathedral fire called arson

The historic Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in downtown Spokane was marred by an arsonist Tuesday morning, fire investigators say.

Witnesses said a fiery glow could be seen from across the street as flames rolled past the windows at the front of the Roman Catholic church, and smoke billowed out of the bell towers.

The fire began about 10 a.m. in the foyer of the cathedral at 1115 W. Riverside Ave.

The damage was estimated at $80,000, said Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. Investigators said they don’t have a suspect in the blaze, but have collected evidence of the arson.

Other than a noon service Tuesday, no other cancellations for worship or other events were announced for the week, officials said.

“I feel sad,” said Shelley Koerper about the fire’s damage. “You know, right at Christmas.”

Koerper was sitting in front of a coffee shop across from the 103-year-old cathedral when firefighters arrived.

Spokane firefighters responded to the blaze after smoke and flames triggered an automatic alarm, Schaeffer said. “The potential for this to have been much worse was high,” Schaeffer said. “The flames were already stretching up the wall.”

Firefighters had the fire out within 30 minutes, officials said. There were varying levels of smoke damage throughout.