SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Firefighters were called to a blaze that damaged a church in Somerville Wednesday night.

Crews responding to a reported structure fire at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church on Central Street found heavy smoke throughout the vestibule.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire but say that there were some candles burning in the building at the time.

“The fire was confined to the vestibule however, we have a very, very heavy smoke condition throughout the school– there’s an attached school building in the church,” Fire Chief Charles Breen said.

Breen credited a box attached to the building’s fire alarm for alerting them to the blaze.

A life-long member of the church, Dimitra Murphy said she is thankful that the class her son was supposed to attend ended up getting canceled.

“I still am holding back tears our kids were supposed to have Greek school tonight and they happened to call it off because of some unexpected event,” she said. “So we would’ve had a lot of people up here finishing up. Who knows what time it started, and it’s kind of divine intervention that it was just part of the building and nothing more.”

No injuries were reported.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox