Cleanup is underway at a church in Wyoming after a fire Monday night.
“It’s like, ‘My goodness, the church is on fire,’” said John Booy, superintendent of the Potter’s House School.
Booy said the fire started in a waste basket near a sound board in the sanctuary, damaging the equipment. Fortunately, it was put out quickly.
“Our fire suppression sprinkler system worked really well because the fire started right underneath the balcony, which is all wood and it would’ve been no time, it would’ve gone up like a match,” Booy said.
Water from the sprinkler system caused some damage in the sanctuary and classrooms underneath it that are used for computer, art, science and music classes for the school that is connected to the church.
“There was an extensive amount of damage to the ceilings, which will all pretty much have to be replaced, smoke damage, soot is going to have to be taken care of, electrical has been damaged,” Booy said.
In the hours following the fire, Booy said The Potter’s House saw an outpouring of help from the community to start the recovery process.
“Everybody came out, got out of bed, drove over, even if it was from Holland or Muskegon, worked all through the night until 4:30 (a.m.) and beyond,” Booy said.
As restoration work continues, school is expected to begin as normal on Aug. 26. But it could take some time before the sanctuary can be used.
“We’re not going to be able to have our opening worship session in the church like we planned,” Booy said.
He said he’s thankful that no one was hurt and the fire wasn’t worse. He acknowledged things could have been much different if those board members didn’t notice the incident quickly.
“You have a meeting that you never have go that long, you leave and you see a light in there and you’re on it right away. So we were able to notify the fire department immediately,” Booy said.
