News

Fire damages church on Bloomington Road; cause under investigation

Fire damages church on Bloomington Road; cause under investigation

When crews arrived, moderate smoke was visible from the roof eaves and high windows. Photo: Saga Communications/Craig Ondevilla


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Chambana Today) — A church in the 1600 block of Bloomington Road sustained significant damage Wednesday afternoon after a fire broke out in the upper portion of the sanctuary, prompting a multi-agency emergency response.

The Champaign Fire Department was dispatched at 12:28 p.m. following multiple 911 calls from passing motorists who reported smoke coming from the building. When crews arrived, moderate smoke was visible from the roof eaves and high windows, and the incident was quickly upgraded to a second alarm.

Firefighters from both Champaign and Urbana extended several hose lines and worked together to knock down the fire and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the structure. Crews remained on scene for an extended period to fully extinguish hot spots.

Investigators from the Champaign Fire and Police Departments are still working to determine the cause of the fire. No firefighter injuries were reported.

Recent Headlines

1 day ago in Features, Trending

Pontifical secret revealed: Pope Leo XIV changes his Wordle start word each day

Pope Leo XIV opened a virtual meeting with American Catholic young people Friday by revealing a closely held pontifical secret: He uses a different Wordle start word each day.

1 day ago in Sports, Trending

Travis Kelce plans to decide on retirement after the season, wants to give Chiefs time to prepare

Four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce plans to wait until after the season to make a decision on retirement, though he did say Friday that he wants to make that decision early enough that the Kansas City Chiefs have time to prepare for the future.

1 day ago in Entertainment

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is officially eligible for the Oscars

"KPop Demon Hunters" is one step closer to another golden moment: The Oscars. The Netflix phenomenon is among 35 films features eligible for the animated feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Fugees rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison over illegal donations to Obama campaign

Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Mexico’s bullied pageant contestant gets payback by capturing Miss Universe crown

Fátima Bosch Fernández of Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Friday, a dramatic victory for a 25-year-old at the center of the turbulent 74th staging of the popular beauty pageant in Bangkok who stood up to public bullying from one of the hosts.