Fire rips through historic church founded by Serra

SAN GABRIEL, Los Angeles County — A fire destroyed the roof and most of the interior of the San Gabriel Mission that was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Fire alarms at the church rang early Saturday. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke rising from the wooden rooftop in one corner of the historic structure, San Gabriel Fire Capt. Paul Negrete said.

Firefighters entered the church and tried to beat back the flames, but they had to retreat when roofing and other structural materials began to fall, Negrete said.

“The roof is completely gone,” the captain said. “The fire traversed the wood rapidly. The interior is pretty much destroyed up into the altar area.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Negrete said the recent toppling of monuments to Junipero Serra, the founder of the California mission system who has long been a symbol of oppression among Indigenous activists, will be a factor in the investigation.

Robert Barron, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, tweeted that he is “deeply troubled” by the fire as he awaits further information about its cause.

The church was the fourth of a string of missions established across California by Serra during the era of Spanish colonization. The Franciscan priest has long been praised by the church for bringing Roman Catholicism to what is now the western United States, but critics highlight a darker side to his legacy. In converting Native Americans to Catholicism, they said he forced them to abandon their culture or face brutal punishment.

On Sunday, Archbishop Jose Gomez celebrated Mass at a chapel on the grounds of the mission.

Depictions of Serra have been protested and vandalized over the years, and Pope Francis’ decision in 2015 to elevate him to sainthood reopened old wounds. More recently, protests focusing on the rights and historical struggle of Black and Indigenous people led activists to topple statues of Serra in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles.

Andrew Campa / Los Angeles Times A firefighter examines debris Saturday after a fire tore through the San Gabriel Mission, destroying the roof and much of its interior. A probe into the cause of the blaze is under way.