Advertisement Man killed in Grafton church fire Firefighters say flames spread rapidly Share Shares Copy Link Copy

One man was killed Tuesday in a fire that heavily damaged a church that has stood in Grafton for more than 200 years.Click to watch News 9's coverage.Firefighters were called to the Peaceful Assembly Church about 11 a.m., and the fire quickly went to two alarms. Firefighters had to wait hours before going inside because of structural concerns while the fire continued to flare up."We found out later that the bell is still in the bell tower, so there's an additional weight," Fire Chief John Babiarz said. "So when we are going on something a couple hundred years old, fighting fires in that is very tricky."Within a few hours, flames severely damaged the old church that has stood on Grafton's town green since 1798.Inside, firefighters and the state fire marshal's office found the body of a man. Fire investigators have not released the identity of the victim, but said the man who lives there remains unaccounted for."We are not in a position to release any details about the victim at this point," Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Rodenhiser said. "It's a male victim. That's as far as we are willing to go."Neighbors said one man lived in the building, and the fire chief referred to him as a pastor. Both of his cars were still on the property."He would be out there in the yard all the time, messing with stuff," neighbor Mike Kata said. "He had a display and Christmas things. I talked to him many times. A very nice guy."A Grafton selectman said a new owner purchased the old building about five years ago and formed a board of directors to become a church called "Peaceful Assembly."But the town and the board of directors have been involved in a dispute over back taxes, and last week, the town voted to begin the process to take the building.Now, fire investigators must determine how the deadly fire started at this Grafton landmark and what can be salvaged."The bell tower structure is intact and there is an old, historic bell inside of it," said Babiarz. "I think we did a fantastic job with the mutual aid we have to 'hold the building together.'"A detour around the fire scene on Route 4 in Grafton will remain in place as investigators resume their search for a cause Wednesday morning.