Fire contained at downtown Charleston church

A fire at People of Color Evangelistic Church in downtown Charleston was brought under control Saturday night, and no injuries were reported. (abcnews4.com) Charleston County’s emergency dispatch center received reports of a possible commercial structure fire just after 7 p.m. on April 18. Fire crews reached the Rutledge Avenue church within three minutes of dispatch, according to the Charleston Fire Department. (counton2.com) Responders from Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant, along with Charleston County Emergency Medical Services and Charleston Police, found smoke venting from the single-story building in the 1300 block of Rutledge Avenue. Firefighters searched the church, confirmed it was unoccupied and got the blaze under control in less than 25 minutes. (abcnews4.com) Investigators with the Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire started in the kitchen area, and the cause remains under investigation. Early containment appears to have kept the damage from spreading beyond a larger structure fire. (counton2.com) The church is People of Color Evangelistic Church at 1328 Rutledge Ave., a neighborhood congregation on Charleston’s peninsula. The address matches the 1300 block location given by fire officials. (mapquest.com) The response stood out for its speed: smoke was visible when crews arrived, but the building was cleared and the fire was contained before any injuries were reported. That left investigators to focus on cause and church leaders to assess repairs rather than emergency medical treatment. (postandcourier.com) For now, the church joins a shorter list of Charleston fire calls that ended with a damaged building but no deaths or injuries. The next update is likely to come from the fire investigation and any repair plans for the Rutledge Avenue property. (postandcourier.com)