Fire guts Downers Grove church leaving it uninhabitable

An early morning, multialarm fire at a church in Downers Grove Monday left the building gutted and uninhabitable.

Fire officials said the damage caused by the blaze at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on the 500 block of 63rd street rendered the building unusable for the foreseeable future.

The building’s fire alarm alerted firefighters to the blaze just after 6:15 a.m., fire officials said. Firefighters reported heavy flames through the roof upon arrival and attacked the fire from inside the building.

No injuries were reported.

Authorities closed 63rd Street between Fairmount Avenue and Washington Street for more than four hours. The road was reopened just before noon.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No damage estimate was immediately available.

The church has been at that site for nearly 45 years, leaders said.

Lindsey Daehnke, the church’s personal member ministry coordinator, said about 200 to 300 parishioners attend services there and the campus also houses a preschool and offers elementary school classes as well.

The preschool was most affected by the fire, she added.

The church’s school committee is meeting in the next few days to determine alternate plans for the upcoming school year, but no decisions have been made yet about where students will be housed.