Fire damages 102-year-old church in Monte Rio

Fire at a century-old church in Monte Rio caused an estimated $300,000 in damage Thursday afternoon, but firefighters said it could have been worse.

“We saved the church. We’re very happy about that,” Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said of the fast response that kept St. Catherine’s Catholic Church from being lost entirely.

Baxman said the church, which sits on a hill on the north side of town, is 102 years old and built of redwood.

The fire, reported just after 4 p.m., appeared to have started in a storage closet in the rear of the church, next to a bathroom. Flames were coming out of the walls when firefighters arrived within two minutes of being dispatched.

The fire went straight into a loft where the choir sings, according to Baxman.

“We got it before it went into the steeple to where the bell is,” he said. “The church itself is still intact.”

In addition to the Monte Rio Fire department, Cal Fire and Russian River Fire departments helped put it out.

Firefighters were investigating the cause of the blaze.

The building, located on Chapel Drive, is about 100 by 75 feet. The church cemetery contains the remains of some of the town’s early settlers.

St. Catherine’s for many years has been the beneficiary of proceeds from the annual talent show put on by members of the nearby Bohemian Grove encampment, the men’s only, two-week summer retreat in the redwoods that caters to the nation’s elite and powerful, including politicians, entertainers and corporate chiefs.