The week of November 5 was an especially busy one for the North Royalton Fire Department. The week started off with a severe storm on Sunday, November 5, and ended with a church fire on Saturday, November 11.
There were two house fires that were associated with the storm, according to North Royalton Fire Chief Bob Chegan. One house on Royalton Road caught fire when a primary power line came into contact with a secondary line, causing enough heat to catch the house on fire, said Chegan. That house ended up with extensive interior and exterior damage, including water damage when a water line ruptured during that time. No one but the family dog was home at the time, which was rescued without injury.
The second house, located on Wallings Road, caught fire on Tuesday, when appliances that were left on during the power outage, surged when the power was restored, causing a fire in the kitchen. No one was home at the time. That fire was confined to the kitchen, but other parts of the house experienced smoke damage.
On Saturday at about 9 a.m., the North Royalton Fire Department was called to St. Matthew the Evangelist Church at 10383 Albion Road. The call was made from the church’s Pastor, Father Andrew Harmon.
It was reported that firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the church. The fire was quickly knocked down and under control within 30 minutes. Mutual aid was given from Broadview Heights, Parma, Strongsville and Seven Hills. Although there was significant fire, smoke and water damage, no one was injured from the fire. “I was on the opposite end of the building when I heard the smoke detector go off,” said Harmon. “Once it got going, it really went fast.” Fr. Harmon said the suspected cause of the fire was a fluorescent light malfunction. The Fire Department was just wonderful,” said Harmon. “They got here fast and they were here all day.”
St. Matthew’s has been in North Royalton for 27 years. They purchased the church then and installed an addition about 17 years ago. They have about 250 parishioners from all over the west and south side.
Harmon said it will probably take more than a year to restore the use of the church. They are currently utilizing various locations for their services, but are looking for a long-term place to use while their church is being restored. In the interim, a fund -raising account has been set up to help offset the costs of the restoration. Anyone interested in donating, can go to the following youcaring.com web page: https://www.youcaring.com/stmatthewschurchnorthroyaltonohio-1007735?fb_action_ids= 10155253985091025&fb_action_types=y oucaringcom%3Ashare

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer