TAMAQUA, Pa. -- A former church in Tamaqua was converted into an art studio years ago, but people in the community tell us that the building is still very important to the community.
Firefighters worked through the night trying to control a fire in the place on West Broad Street in Tamaqua over the weekend.
"I was in watching TV and we seen the fire and the police out there and we were wondering what was going on," Linda Yeager of Tamaqua said.
The Yeagar family lives across the street from where the fire happened. The building that burned used to be the First Presbyterian Church.
"When I was a little girl, a former minister from our church came to be a minister at this church," Dorothy Sassaman of New Ringgold said. "So we knew it specifically for that."
After the church closed, it was converted into an art studio and an apartment. Even though the building hasn't been a church for some time, people in the community are still sad to see this happen to it.
"Of course, when you notice it's a church in your hometown, you take notice right away," Sassaman said.
No one was hurt in the fire, firefighters said the man who owns it travels out of the country often. They believe the fire started between the first and second floors of the building, but are waiting to talk to the owner before they determine a cause.
"It's always sad when there's a fire, especially when you think of the history of the church and the people who have celebrated and worshiped with their families there," Sassaman said. "So it's always a disheartening thing to think about."
The owner of the building's family will meet with firefighters this week as they search for the cause of this fire.