CHESTERTOWN, Md.- Authorities have ruled as accidental a Monday morning fire that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the Chestertown Seventh-Day Adventist Church on North Kent Street.
The Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company, assisted by nine other fire companies, responded to the blaze shortly before 6:30 a.m. According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, it took 60 firefighters approximately one hour to get the two-alarm fire under control.
There were no reported injuries. However, nearby Garnett Elementary School was closed as a precautionary due to strong fumes from the fire.
The fire caused an estimated $400,000 in damage to the structure and another $100,000 in damage to its contents.
According to investigators, an electrical malfunction in an electric organ is believed to have been the preliminary cause of the fire.