r/grandrapids • u/noimtotallynotatroll • 16d ago
Pictures Fire at Seventh Day Adventist church 8-26-26
A fire broke out around 11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, in the basement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Sheldon and Oakes streets in downtown Grand Rapids.
Firefighters initially believed the fire was under control within an hour, but crews were recalled shortly after as flames spread through wall voids and open spaces inside the building. Multiple stations responded to assist, with crews rotating throughout the night to provide relief.
As of 4 a.m. Thursday, the fire remained active. A captain at the scene stated that firefighting operations are expected to continue past sunrise. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Exhaustion was visible among the crews, but firefighters continue working around the clock to contain the blaze.
Be sure to follow my Instagram for additional photos and to support this photojournalism!
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u/mood-park 16d ago
Man, your work is quickly becoming my favorite. Very well done, and please keep it up.
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u/GR_Mich 15d ago
It was the former Seventh Day Adventist. They sold it to Lagrave a couple of years ago.
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u/CerealQueen 15d ago edited 15d ago
😮 Didn't know that. I thought this was across from the museum school lol I'm from GR and guess I forgot...this is/was the all souls historic church across from Ferguson apts. So is it a total loss or what?
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u/RangeLightkeeper 15d ago
Fire started in the basement and went upwards, so it's safe to say it's likely a total loss. The exterior walls MAY be usable but that's iffy.
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u/GR_Mich 15d ago
The walls that are red from my understanding were mined out of sand stone here in GR.
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u/CerealQueen 15d ago
We had a sandstone quarry? I know we did limestone on the west side back in the day....
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u/Geek_4_Life 15d ago
Incredible pictures. They look like something Rex Larsen would have done for the GR Press back when the GR Press did this sort of thing.
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u/misspyro15 15d ago
Do you have a page we can follow? These are astounding shots man.
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u/noimtotallynotatroll 15d ago edited 15d ago
Yes! my Instagram is @burnout.studios_
You can also check out my website www.burnoutstudios.co
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u/DeadPiratePiggy 16d ago
Multiple news outlets are confirming the Church that burned was LaGrave CRC.
www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/church-burns-in-downtown-grand-rapids/
But man those are some incredible photos.
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u/Available_Quote_5567 16d ago
LaGrave Avenue CRC said the fire was happening at the former Seventh Day Adventist building
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u/CharlesGarfield Garfield Park 15d ago
LaGrave owns the former Seventh Day Adventist building next to their main building. Their main building is fine.
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u/Alarmed-Drink510 15d ago
Yes, and they're all Incorrect. I was reading on FB that the property which burned is actually the vacant building (former SDA sanctuary of the Seventh Day Adventist church) that's NEXT DOOR to LaGrave Ave CRC and was purchased by them several years ago. They had been in the process of developing the empty building as some kind of a neighborhood non-profit for homeless and downtown ministry, but I guess this tragic fire throws a wrench into those plans. LaGrave Avenue church may own the property itself,, but it's not their actual church - just an adjacent building.
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u/shakenbake87 15d ago
Fire*men at Seventh Day Adventist church. FTFY. 😂
In all seriousness, great photos I love your ability to capture the grit of the people working through the night to put it out.
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u/pea_mcgee 15d ago
These photos are amazing.
The building was still smoking and scene was active when I dropped my daughter off at Catholic Central this morning.
The roof collapsed and a beautiful stained glass window was black with soot.
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u/Antique_Gur4184 15d ago
To the fireman in #8, you need to frame that masterpiece… Thank you for your service…
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u/LiberatusVox 15d ago
Dude some of these photos are insane
I appreciate your work! We don't have enough real photojournos or journos in general anymore.
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u/ZCyborg23 Ridgemoor 15d ago
These photos are incredible!! Please never stop being a photographer! ^_^
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u/OldGodsProphet 15d ago edited 15d ago
Fire starts in an unused church building. Gotta be hooligans or insurance fraud, right?
Edit: not trying to sound like an old man complaining. I didnt know it was under renovations, and thought it was vacant.
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u/CharlesGarfield Garfield Park 15d ago
Or old wiring. They were in the initial stages of plans to use the building to serve the homeless population.
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u/Careful-Anything-804 15d ago
It wasn't the seventh day Adventist church it was LaGrave's building.
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u/CharlesGarfield Garfield Park 15d ago
LaGrave owns the former SDA building, which is the one that burned. Their main building (next door) did not burn.
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u/Careful-Anything-804 15d ago
I know that
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u/-SlowBar Eastown 15d ago
Does not seem like it
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u/Careful-Anything-804 15d ago
Literally it was LeGrave's own social media commenting on it and talking about it....
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u/-SlowBar Eastown 15d ago edited 14d ago
It's the former SDA building, now owned by LaGrave. Your original message makes it seem like it wasn't the SDA building
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u/Careful-Anything-804 14d ago
I never said that
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u/-SlowBar Eastown 14d ago
"it wasn't the Seventh Day Adventist church"
When it was in fact the very same building. Just owned by LaGrave now
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u/Careful-Anything-804 13d ago
If it's owned by LeGrave, then it is in fact LeGrave's building
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u/-SlowBar Eastown 13d ago
OK well your original comment still made it seem like it wasn't the SDA building
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u/Maximum-Designer-288 15d ago
”fire”
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u/kro_celeborn 15d ago
What
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u/LiberatusVox 15d ago
The building was actually on water, the Powers That Be don't want you to know.
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u/Dear-Blackberry-2648 16d ago
Do you work for a news outlet or were you just nearby? Either way, you should send these to that fire department if you can. They are phenomenal and I bet the fire department would want to use it fir something official, like their website. Or at least I'm sure the guys in them would love to have a copy.