Fire Starts in Shrine Candle Chapel

A fire started in a chapel at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa Wednesday night around 7:30.

No one was hurt and local firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the candle chapel, where it is believed the fire began.

Light smoke was emanating from the right side of the Shrine when firefighters arrived on the scene, Chalfont Fire Chief Dennis McGuire said.

"As we got out of the car, one of the windows in the building blew out and we could see heavy fire inside," McGuire said, standing just a short distance away from the candle chapel, as firefighters worked to pack up their gear.

The building where the fire started is the Shrine's candle chapel. McGuire said they believe the fire began there and spread up to the roof of that small chapel.

But firefighters were able to keep it from spreading any farther; McGuire said the fire never got into the main building of the Shrine itself. Firefighters had the blaze under control in 30 to 40 minutes, he said.

No one was injured in the incident, the chief said. A handful of the religious men, most of whom are Polish, stood on the sidewalk outside and watched the firefighters working.

McGuire said New Britain Township Fire Marshal Randy Teschner is investigating the exact cause of the blaze, assisted by Warminster Fire Marshal Steve Walther.

McGuire's company, Chalfont, took the lead on the blaze; they were assisted by companies from Doylestown, Dublin, Hilltown and Warrington.

Located on Ferry Road in New Britain Township, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa is an important regional and national landmark.

It traces its roots to 1953, when the Catholic Church gave permission to the Pauline Order to establish a monastery in Doylestown. The order bought 40 acres and turned the property's barn into a chapel.

In 1964, they broke ground on the planned shrine. Archbishop John Krol dedicated the shrine on Oct. 16, 1966, with President Lyndon B. Johnson and other dignitaries in attendance.

Over the years, the Shrine has become an important symbol of Polish culture in the United States. It is the destination for countless pilgrimages, and each September, it hosts the popular on its grounds.