Fire destroyed a vacant church in Harlan late Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters from Harlan, Denison, Kirkman and Westphalia as well as other communities fought for several hours to bring the fire under control. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Harlan Fire Department was called out again at eight o’clock this morning because the fire had rekindled.
The former St. Michael’s Catholic Church was vacant. The parish built a new church adjacent to its Catholic school in 1964. The structure that burned was built in 1925 for $40,000, according to the parish website.
(Reporting by Michele Andersen, KNOD, Harlan)