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Church Fire Forces Middleboro To Cancel Parade

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May 25, 2009 6:35 pm US/Eastern

Church Fire Forces Middleboro To Cancel Parade

MIDDLEBORO (WBZ) ― An intense, four-alarm fire heavily damaged a church in Middleboro early Monday morning and forced authorities to call off the Memorial Day parade in town.

Flames broke out inside the Central Congregational Church on Webster Street around 6:30 a.m.

The morning parade was supposed to march past the church before a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial across the street.

But it took firefighters most of the morning just to bring the fire under control.

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No one was hurt.

Fire Chief Lance Benjamino said the fire began in a back kitchen and traveled up the walls into the steeple.

Authorities said the church's interior was a total loss, but some religious items might be saved.

The exact cause is still not known, but officials say the fire started in the church's basement or first floor and does not appear to be suspicious.

"It's just shocking. We're thankful these firefighters were able to save, it looks like, the building, which is just a blessing," Pastor Bruce Smith told reporters.

"We're going to rebuild, we're going to come together and figure out what to do next."

The church was built in 1847.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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