When fire crews first arrived, efforts were made to access the steeple from inside the church. When this was unsuccessful, they set up around the building and sprayed water onto the steeple in short bursts. Osborne said firefighters had to be careful to not put too much water pressure onto the structure.

“If we had put water on it, we could have collapsed it, depending on how much fire damage was inside on the structure,” he said. “Once the rooster fell, that allowed us to get water into an approximately 12-inch hole.”

Shooting water from aerial trucks on either side of the steeple, firefighters were able to drop water into the small hole, reaching the fire inside.

After the fire was under control, firefighters were able to go inside the church and set up tarps to help control the flow of the water falling inside. Their goal was to prevent further damage to the building, Osborne said.

'It's home'

Mary Visser Kerr, chair of the Church Property Committee, stood behind firefighters and watched as the fire was put out.

She said the church began a fundraising campaign earlier this year to help pay for repair work around the building. The steeple was set to undergo repair work next year as part of their 190-year anniversary.

“It’s was a very unhappy coincidence that lightning struck the steeple,” she said.

Shainna Poulin, the church secretary, said the building is extremely important to members of the church congregation, which totals around 300 members.

She said St. Andrew’s has the one of the oldest, if not the oldest, congregation in the city, dating back to 1828 when the church group used to meet where the farmers’ market is currently located. The stone church at Suffolk and Norfolk streets was built in 1858.

The church is not just a building, Poulin said. “It’s home.”

Home to the congregation but also home to a number of community groups that use the building throughout the year.