Friday, December 17, 2010

Provo Tabernacle Goes Up in Flames

I first heard the news from Jack via Facebook this morning (and see now her much more detailed post here)... I can't even express how sad I am at the lost of such an important and historic building, but earlier this morning, the famed tabernacle in Provo, Utah, was severely damaged by fire and may have to be demolished altogether:

The four-alarm fire, which is thought to have begun in the LDS Church building's second story, was reported at 2:43 a.m. When Provo Fire Department units arrived smoke and flames were coming from the structure's upper windows and gables....

About 4:45 a.m. the tabernacle's roof collapsed. Crews had been pulled prior to that, and no injuries were reported. By 7:45 a.m., cracks reportedly were appearing in the exterior walls of the first story of the two-story building...

"The damage appears severe and until we make a structural assessment we won't know whether this historic treasure will be able to be saved," he [LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter] added.

See also this article and this other article and this third article, and also this post at By Comment Consent. I'm very glad to hear that no one was injured, but I join my LDS friends and others in mourning the loss of this important piece of their history.

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