Fire damages Memorial Christian Church on Tappan Street

A fire at Memorial Christian Church in Ann Arbor has left the building smoke damaged but structurally sound, officials say.

The Ann Arbor Fire Department received the call around 12:30 p.m. Saturday after reports of smoke coming from the church’s steeple, located at 730 Tappan Street.

Acting Battalion Chief Matt Schroeder said 16 firefighters arrived at the scene and had the fire under control within 20 minutes.

“Everybody in the city except for one unit came to the fire,” he said. “We were all committed.”

Schroeder said no one was in the church at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. However, the building, he said, survived with a close call.

“Our crews were very quick and thorough in their attack and were able to control the fire in a very timely manner,” he said. “They made a great save. A few minutes longer the church would have been up in flames.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.