A fire broke out at the San Francisco temple in Cali on the morning of Thursday, September 12.
Photo: Temple San Francisco Cali
A fire broke out on the morning of Thursday, September 12, at the San Francisco church, located in the center of Cali, which was brought under control by the city’s firefighters before the flames spread.
In videos shared on social media, a small column of smoke can be seen coming out of the structure. Cali Firefighters responded to the emergency call, sending two fire extinguishers, an ambulance and a high-altitude machine to deal with the fire.
ATTENTION! 🚨 At this time, a structural fire has occurred in the iconic San Francisco church, in the heart of Cali. 😬🔥⛪️ Cali Firefighters are already aware of the incident and have dispatched two fire extinguishing machines with 08 units, an ambulance with 02 units and a fire extinguishing machine… pic.twitter.com/4RHFigQ4rp
— Find out Cali – Cali News (@EnterateCali) September 12, 2024
The church has been undergoing repairs for two years, after one of its walls collapsed on May 24, 2022. The fire apparently originated in the area affected by the works. “Units are working on the site, abundant smoke is observed coming out of the roof,” the fire department reported at the time.
At 10:30 a.m., the fire was completely under control, and the Fire Department confirmed that it had been initially contained by the workers in charge of restoring the La Inmaculada chapel. Sergeant Luis Alfredo Jordán, emergency coordinator for the northern division of the Fire Department, explained to El País that investigations are being led to determine the causes of the fire.
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Friar Segundo Daniel Niño Camargo, rector of the temples of San Francisco and La Inmaculada and guardian of the convent of San Joaquín, explained that the fire was controlled from its initial phase and that no injuries were reported.
Fortunately, no structural damage or significant losses to architectural elements were reported, so reconstruction work can continue as normal.
The Ministry of Culture, the Governorate of Valle, the Mayor’s Office of Cali and the Franciscan Community have been collaborating to obtain the necessary resources for the repair of the structure that is a historical heritage. The works are progressing and the first stage of reconstruction is close to completion. Once finished, additional studies will be carried out and funding will be sought to continue with the project.
