Fire guts vacant church in Aboite

A fire in southwest Allen County early Monday destroyed a vacant church and left a firefighter with minor injuries.

Firefighters with the Southwest Allen County Fire District and the Aboite Township Fire Department were called to 8830 Aboite Road about 2:20 a.m.

There, a building was engulfed in flames, Southwest Allen County Fire District Chief Don Patnoude said. Investigators are still determining what caused the blaze, though officials said nothing as of yet points to it being suspicious.

Twelve tankers responded to the scene, mainly to protect a nearby home and to prevent a field fire, Patnoude said.

An Aboite firefighter was taken to a hospital after fighting the blaze. It wasn’t clear whether he was released from the hospital, but fire officials said his injuries were minor.