Limited Damage from Fire at East Wenatchee Church

“Through all of this, the Lord preserved our church from burning down,” said Pastor Brandon Korter. “God is so very good!”

East Wenatchee Church secretary, Cheryl Shakelford, routinely unlocks the dumpster on Monday nights so the garbage can be emptied on Tuesdays. However, on this particular week she forgot to unlock the dumpster on Monday night and decided to come back early on Tuesday morning.

When Shakelford arrived that morning at 7:30 a.m., she saw smoke pouring out of the eves of the south wing. She immediately called the fire department, pastor, and head deacon.

Ten minutes later, the fire department arrived on the scene. The fire captain of Ladder 4 said the room had reached about 600 degrees Fahrenheit and that somehow the fire had been extinguished on its own. The captain noted that it was unusual, and something he had never seen before in his years of fighting fires.

Without the unexplained containment, the entire building likely would have been lost.

The entire children’s division south wing is heavily damaged with the smell of burnt plastic and smoke, and some minor smoke damage is apparent in the rest of the building.

After initial damage assessments, repairs needed will include new drywall throughout the southern education wing, electrical repairs, replacing smoke damaged carpet in the building, and installing new insulation and heating/air conditioning duct work in the ceiling.

Cleanup and restoration work is already underway and will likely take several months to be fully restored. 

“This is going to take a lot of time and attention, but we will not lose focus on the mission God has given us,” said Korter. “We are grateful for prayers and support towards restoration so that the cause of Jesus may continue to be proclaimed here in the Wenatchee Valley and beyond!”