Fire Destroys War-Themed Wood Chapel in Pennsylvania

A pre-dawn fire Friday destroyed a Civil War-themed wooden chapel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that town officials ordered vacated last month because they say it did not satisfy various codes.

Lt. Chris Folster of the Gettysburg Fire Department said firefighters believe the blaze started in the four-year-old chapel, but investigators have not made any conclusions about the cause.

The fire also damaged three neighboring buildings in downtown Gettysburg before firefighters extinguished it around 6 a.m., Folster said.

Gettysburg police, state police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating, Folster said.

No injuries were reported.

John Wega founded the chapel to tell the story of Christianity during the Civil War.

His organization built the chapel on a vacant lot in 2006. The 12-foot by 20-foot log chapel was intended to be a replica of a Civil War chapel.

Last month, the borough ordered chapel owners to stop using the building because officials said it did not comply with various construction codes.

Wega and lawyers representing his organization disagreed and have argued that churches have special constitutional protections, the Gettysburg Times reported.

Firefighters were dispatched at 3:37 a.m. The blaze was powerful enough to draw 100 firefighters and 26 fire vehicles from four counties and 17 fire companies, Folster said.

One of the damaged buildings housed the Ragged Edge Coffee House.

Owner Jacob Schindel told the York Daily Record that he woke up at 3:15 a.m. and heard a sound like rustling leaves. He could feel the heat from the chapel, which looked like a “bonfire,” he said.

The three-day Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, considered the bloodiest battle North America has ever seen, helped deliver a Union victory over Confederate forces.