I just heard that the Tumwater Washington (near Olympia) Kingdom Hall burned down today. My friend said it was on the news, and dubs were being interviewed.
Kingdom Hall burned down
by Mulan 15 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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ItsJustlittleoldme
Was anyone hurt?
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RunningMan
Here's some information: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=31949&site=3
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ballistic
Not another one! I just read another post about one near Olympia!
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Mulan
Sorry, I hadn't seen the post by wasasister.
By the way, Ballistic, Tumwater is near Olympia. Same one.
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Cappuccino OC
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20020712/southsound/13182.shtml
The Olympian, Olympia Washington Friday, July 12, 2002 News South Sound Email this story | Printable version Tumwater building destroyed by blaze
Kingdom Hall congregation members vow to rebuildFirefighters prepare to attack a fire at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tumwater on Thursday night. The building on North Ninth Avenue Southwest, not far from the Interstate 5-U.S. Highway 101 interchange, was considered a total loss.
Tony Overman/The OlympianRidgeway "We don't have any reason to believe the fire is suspicious"
MICHAEL BURNHAM THE OLYMPIAN
TUMWATER -- Fire destroyed the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Tumwater Hill on Thursday night.Members of the congregation, who gathered to watch the blaze, promised to build anew.
Firefighters from the Tumwater and Olympia fire departments were called to the blaze at 1199 North Ninth Ave. S.W. at 8:44 p.m.
It was extinguished shortly after 11 p.m.
The firefighters arrived to find the one-story Kingdom Hall's attic engulfed in flames. A narrow gray plume of smoke billowed 150 feet above the orange core of flames.
Within 10 minutes, an offensive by 25 firefighters to salvage the building became a defensive retreat when the roof began to collapse.
No one was injured, Tumwater Fire Department Chief Richard Ridgeway said.
'Probably total loss'
"At this point, it's probably a total loss," Ridgeway said shortly after 10:30, as flames began to give way to the dense, low smoke of a dying fire.
One witness told officials he saw a couch on fire at the building's north end before firefighters arrived, Ridgeway said.
"We don't have any reason to believe the fire is suspicious at this point," the chief cautioned.
Many of the more than 250 members of the congregation gathered at the scene.
Two couches that had been mysteriously placed near the church's north wall on Monday were the subject of somber conversations.
Congregation member Sheri Seibold and others quietly wondered if the blaze had been intentionally set.
"It was really unnecessary," she said, choking back tears. "We just keep to ourselves in the community. That's all we do."
'I laid shingles'
As the building burned to its end in a few hours, Seibold's husband, Gene, remarked that members of the faith had built the wood-frame building in 24 hours.
"I laid shingles and she hammered," Gene Seibold said.
"My kids were raised in that hall," his wife said, giving in to her tears.
"We'll build again. We'll build again," could be heard a few feet away.
Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-704-6869 or [email protected]
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Kenneson
There is an article in the Olympian, entitled "Tumwater building destroyed by fire: Kingdom Hall congregation members vow to rebuild"
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20020712/southsound/13182.shtml
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Kenneson
Sorry for the repeat. We must have been posting almost simultaneously.
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BluesBrother
I guess the "Kingdom hall Fund" or whatever they call the in house insurance arrangement ,must have taken a hit here
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Eric
Two couches that had been mysteriously placed near the church's north wall on Monday were the subject of somber conversations.
One witness told officials he saw a couch on fire at the building's north end before firefighters arrived, Ridgeway said.
Was this Kingdom Hall situated in a trailer park? Is it normal for this congregation to ignore refuse that is being dumped along the north wall? Were there any abandoned refrigerators and pickup trucks lost in this blaze?
How bizarre, how bizarre...
Eric
