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This Minnesota town lost its church in a blowtorch accident

On Feb. 11, 1936, the 42-year-old Congregational Church on Seventh Avenue in Alexandria, Minnesota was destroyed by fire after janitor J. E. Sharley used a blowtorch to thaw frozen pipes, and smoke was seen in the basement ceiling.
Facing frozen pipes, Sharley used a blowtorch in the basement to thaw them, then smoke and fire were found upstairs.
In roughly 12 below zero weather, firefighters first connected to a hydrant at the courthouse yard but found it frozen; five firefighters suffered frostbite, and only a typewriter was salvaged.
Everything inside the church — pipe organ, two pianos, books and furnishings — was a total loss; the building carried $40,000 insurance and contents $2,000, yet replacements were estimated at not less than $60,000, and three sister churches offered the congregation space for services.
Almost a year later, on Jan. 24, 1937, a new cornerstone was laid for the church, and it was dedicated later that year as the First Congregational United Church of Christ.

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This Minnesota town lost its church in a blowtorch accident

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Ninety years ago, the Alexandria Congregational Church was known as one of the most beautiful places of worship in the city. Then, on Feb. 11, 1936, the 42-year-old building, located on Seventh Avenue in Alexandria, Minnesota, was destroyed by a fire. That morning, janitor J. E. Sharley went to the church to turn on the city steam heat to warm up a room for a religious education class. Sharley found that the water pipes were …

11 hours ago·Cherokee County, United States

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