Smoke pours from vacant historic church in Chester as crews respond to fire

Fire crews battled a fire at the former Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Chester, Delaware County early Wednesday morning.

According to fire officials, the incident was reported around 6 a.m. on Nov. 26.

Smoke could be seen pouring from the 151-year-old church as crews worked to extinguish the flames.

However, according to Chester Mayor Stefan Roots, the building has been vacant for years.

In an interview with NBC10’s Lili Zheng, Roots said he heard about the fire on the radio and rushed down to the scene.

“When they said 2nd and Norris Street, I just lost a beat. I went to school here in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. It was my introduction to the Catholic faith,” he said. “Going inside that church for the first time, I’ll never forget just the grandeur of the architecture. The tall ceilings. The woodwork. The marble was unbelievable. I didn’t know what a station of the cross was but when I saw those things on the side of the wall, they were magnificent.”

According to Roots, there was a school behind the church.

“This is a tough one for me. My formative years as a child from 6th to 8th grade from CYO basketball to nuns hitting me on the knuckles with a ruler,” he recalled. “That whole experience is just unforgettable and friends that I’ve made that are still lifelong friends. This is a really important piece of Chester history for me.”

However, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the church has been vacant since 2002.

In fact, according to the church leadership, since 2023 the church has been used for worship on only two occasions.

The archdiocese also noted that requests for celebrations, like baptisms, weddings and funerals there have “greatly diminished over time.”

For one example shared by the archdiocese, no baptisms have been celebrated there since 2017.

While information is preliminary, Roots said he’s been told the fire may have started in the basement of the church.

However, fire officials did not immediately confirm that information to NBC10.

Roots said no serious injuries have been reported.

Also, officials have not yet detailed what may have caused this incident, the investigation is ongoing.