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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Fire at historic downtown church caused by faulty wiring

Spokane Fire Department firefighters work to quickly extinguish a blaze on the roof line of the New Community Church at 518 W. Third Ave. on Sunday. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVI)
By Emma Epperly emmae@spokesman.com(509) 459-5122

A blaze at a historic downtown church just hours after services concluded Sunday was caused by faulty wiring, said Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer.

The fire was ruled an accident after a brief investigation, he added.

The church, 518 W. Third Ave., was completed in 1907 and served as the meeting place for Central United Methodist Church until 2017. Now New Community Church holds its services there.

The fire was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, confining it to the top floors of the church above its mechanical room.

The church was assessing damage from the fire but plans to work with their insurance company to determine if services can be held there next week, said pastor Kevin Longmeier.

Emma Epperly can be reached at (509) 459-5122 or at emmae@spokesman.com