Suspicious fire destroys 150-yr-old Hindustani Convenant Church in Pune

A fire of unknown origin completely destroyed a 150-year-old church in Pune on Monday.

The fire at St Andrew's Hindustani Covenant Church destroyed property worth Rs 1 crore, and included expensive furniture, literature and machinery.

Fire brigade officials told DNA that they were informed late about the incident and this delay did not allow them to save the entire structure.

"We got a call from the church officials at 8 in the morning. It took us 30 minutes to battle the fire and bring things under control. In an hour, the fire was extinguished," Pune Cantonment Board fire brigade superintendent PG Hasabe was quoted saying.

He said the fire was raging for four hours before they were informed about it. Over a dozen fire brigades apparently worked to bring things under control. There were no reports of any casualties.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan and Home Minister R R Patil visited the Church premises and assured a speedy inquiry into the incident.

The government will conduct a fair probe to know the cause of the fire, the chief minister said.

While the police are maintaining that the fire was caused by a short-circuit, church authorities believe the fire is the result of sabotage.

Bishop Thomas Dabre of the Catholic Diocese of Pune told media that the blaze was a "planned" act.

"The fire is definitely a pre-meditated action. One can see that even the metal has melted and the fire has reached the roof. The government and the police should conduct an impartial inquiry, he said.

The pastor of the Church, Rev Thomas Irvine lamented that the fire destroyed the heritage and antique properties preserved in the church for 150 years.

The Church currently has 315 families and over 1,000 members as part of its congregation. The members are determined to restore the heritage structure before Christmas.

"All the leadership at this juncture has been totally devastated by this incident," Stephen David, moderator of the denomination and pastor of the congregation, wrote to Evangelical Covenant Church leaders.

"We as the church members and the leadership of the church are in grief and sorrow for this incident."

The Hindustani Covenant Church headquarters are located next to the church, but were not damaged.