Fire damages century-old church in Aplington

A church that was over a century old was destroyed by fire overnight in the north-central Iowa town of Aplington. The pastor of the Bethel Reformed, Scott Summer, says a family member discovered the fire last night. He says his daughter saw smoke coming out of the doors around eight o’clock, and he says when they ran over, smoke was coming out of the doors so hard they couldn’t step in the doors. Firefighters from Aplington. and surrounding towns were at the scene until around three this morning (Tuesday). Summer says the 118-year-old church is almost all gone. He says except for a small area that was added on to the north of the church, the rest is totaled. He says the roof of the church caved in onto the sanctuary. The cause of the fire isn’t known and an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office is expected to be on the scene later today.