SHELTON, Neb. (AP) — A fire Wednesday morning destroyed a historic church near the central Nebraska city of Shelton.
The fire at the Zion Lutheran Church was reported just after 7 a.m. and firefighters who arrived minutes later found the structure was engulfed in flames.
Shelton Fire Chief Jason Wiehn said the church was destroyed. Fighting the fire was complicated by a lack of water, which forced trucks to return to Shelton and Ravenna to fill up with more water, he said.
The church, which was built in the early 1900s, was about 10 miles northwest of Shelton.
Church member Rick Pope told KSNB-TV the fire was visible miles away at his home.
“I live about five miles away and could see a glow,” he said. “My son called me about that same time and we came up and watched it burn down.”
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.
