Crews battle extra-alarm fire in steeple of Humboldt Park church

Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire Tuesday morning at a church in the West Side Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Crews were called to the fire at Salvation and Deliverance Ministries International, 1530 N. Spaulding, at 8:13 a.m., according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt. The fire was in the steeple of the church.

The blaze was upgraded to a two-alarm at 8:39 a.m. and the alarm was struck out about 9:30 a.m., Merritt said. Crews remained at the scene working to extinguish the last remnants of the fire, a small flame burning at the top of the steeple.

The pastor was the only person inside at the time of the fire and was not injured, Merritt said.

The fire appeared to be accidental, Merritt said. He said there had been reports of lightning strikes in the area, but the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.