Fire damages historic First Christian Church in downtown Bloomington

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Staff report

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — October 1, 2025 — A fire that sent thick black smoke billowing upward into the sky over downtown Bloomington Wednesday afternoon damaged the historic First Christian Church on Kirkwood Avenue.

Deputy Fire Chief Max Litwin of the Bloomington Fire Department said firefighters were dispatched at 3:06 p.m. to the church, located at 205 E. Kirkwood Ave., after flames were reported in the west wing of the building facing the busy downtown corridor.

“When crews arrived, they got the fire knocked down extremely quickly and confined it to the front roof area,” Litwin told reporters at the scene.

Photos and video shared on social media showed flames and heavy smoke rising from an upper-story section of the church. Onlookers gathered on sidewalks. Bloomington Police officers helped keep pedestrians from stepping over fire hoses or getting too close to the building while firefighters worked.

Litwin said no one was injured in the blaze, though the church sustained water and smoke damage. “The damage was confined to the front area,” he said, adding that firefighters moved to a salvage phase once the fire was under control, using tarps to protect the church’s contents and removing items at risk of further damage.

Asked about the presence of chainsaws at the scene, Litwin explained that firefighters sometimes cut ventilation holes in roofs to get water onto flames trapped between roofing material and ceilings. He could not immediately confirm whether crews had to make such cuts during Wednesday’s response.

An investigator was already on-site during firefighting efforts, Litwin said, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation. A formal release with additional details is expected once the review is complete, possibly as soon as Thursday.

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