9News LIVE Report
9News UPDATE Report
Reported by: Neil Relyea, Lance Barry
Photographed by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Click here to see archived WCPO footage from 1993, when Old St. George closed its doors.
Have memories of Old St. George Church? Email them to us by clicking here.
At 8:25 p.m. the clock was still ticking on the eastern face of one of two steeples destroyed by fire Friday night.
Both steeples of the historic Old St. George Church were fully engulfed in flames after a two-alarm fire quickly escalated to a three-alarm fire around 7 p.m.
Firefighters struggled to bring the fire under control at the familiar landmark located at Calhoun and Scioto streets near the University of Cincinnati campus and across the street from Corryville Catholic School.
Several fire crews called to the scene were instructed to pull back as large embers began falling and there was fear that both steeples appeared ready to collapse.
With both steeples glowing like Roman candles, the left steeple of a historic Cincinnati landmark collapsed at 7:44 p.m.
The remaining steeple still towered above the more than 130-year-old church, until it collapsed at 7:53 p.m. – while flames still billowed from its base.
With both steeples almost completely collapsed, the blaze appeared diminished.
According to Cincinnati fire officials, it also appeared fire was prevented from spreading to the remainder of the four-story high, historic brick church.
Fire officials say no firefighters were hurt during the struggle to bring the three-alarm fire under control – and that it appears no citizens were hurt either.
Fire officials have yet to confirm the extent of the fire and its damage, or its cause.
Stay with WCPO.com and WCPO-TV for updates. Please click "refresh" on your browser to view the most recent version of this story.
