Minneapolis firefighters battled a two-alarm fire that collapsed the roof of a century-old church Monday.
The fire broke out at shortly before 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish church in the city's northeast section, the Star Tribune reports. When crews arrived at the scene, they encountered heavy flames at the rear of the two-story church.
With flames severely damaging the church's structure, firefighters were forced out of the building and battled the fire from the exterior. Aerials were deployed to douse the flames from above, and crews were able to get the fire under control by around 8:45 p.m.
The church, which was part of a University of Minnesota research project about the houses of worship of early settlers, sustained heavy damage from the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
