November 18, 2009 - 11:37 a.m. EST

MAYVILLE — A fire that occurred Monday afternoon at the Community of Christ Church in Mayville will have the congregation attending services elsewhere until the damage can be repaired.

Mayville firefighters, with the assistance of the Caro Fire Department, arrived on the scene after receiving a call shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday.

According to Mayville fire chief Roger Sweet, after firefighters secured the area, it was discovered an electrical fire had broken out in a rear corner of the building. The corner became so hot that the siding on the outside of the building began to melt.

Sweet said most of the damage to the building was a result of smoke, and that structural damage was at a minimum. He added no one was in the building at the time of the incident, and while he is unsure of the identity of the citizen who called in the fire, he believes it was a patron of the party store located next door.

“We saw no reason for an investigator,” said Sweet regarding the cause of the fire. “It was a pretty clear-cut electrical fire.”

Community of Christ of Mayville pastor, Vicki Beebe, said while repairs are being made to the building, the congregation will be attending services at the Community of Christ in Caro on Deckerville Road.

She added it is still unclear as to when the church will be back to normal or the cost of the damages.

“We still haven’t met with the insurance agent. It was mostly smoke and water damage, though,” said Beebe.

“We are hoping to be back in the building by Christmas, but in the meantime we will be meeting with the Community of Christ in Caro.”

Beebe added that the building was secured on Monday night, which included the boarding up of a door and a window.

“We just want to thank the fire department for their quick response and efforts that kept damage to a minimum,” said Beebe.

The building, which used to be a restaurant, was purchased by the Community of Christ in 2002. After renovations, the building began housing services in 2003.