Local fire officials are still investigating a Tuesday morning fire at the Delaware Church of God on Lake Street.
Delaware Fire Chief John Donahue said the preliminary damage to the structure is estimated to be $75,000. No one was injured.
An official cause will not be determined for a couple of weeks, Donahue said Tuesday.
Daniel Maurer, the pastor of the church and one of the chaplains for the Delaware Police Department, said Tuesday that he was out of town for a police training event when he learned of the fire.
Maurer said he and other church officials had not yet determined where they would hold their next service for their more than 80 members. Maurer added that the church’s insurance agent would be investigating the scene Wednesday.
Maurer said the church can hopefully rebuild and stay in the same location.
Donahue said Tuesday that authorities received a call about the fire at the church, located at 185 Lake St., at 5:40 a.m. Tuesday and firefighters were on the scene at 5:47 a.m.
Donahue said the bulk of the fire had been extinguished by 6:06 a.m. but added that fire crews had some trouble because the church had several void spaces, parts of the building where fire can spread undetected, that crews had trouble accessing.
Donahue said the church has three roofs so crews were concerned fire may have spread into the spaces between roofs.
The Ohio Department of Transportation reported Tuesday morning that U.S. 42 northbound traffic was rerouted to U.S. 23 North and then to State Route 229.
The road had reopened just after 10 a.m.
