Fire crews from Fergus Falls, Elizabeth, Underwood, and Foxhome responded to a fire at Our Lady of Victory Church in Fergus Falls Jan. 14.
The fire, which was concentrated in the building’s office area and reconciliation rooms, did not damage the worship space or school, although there is some smoke and water damage in those areas.

Property manager Bob Budke was in his office and noticed a burning smell at about 8:45 a.m. He walked over to the school to check things there. By the time he returned to the office area, there was visible smoke coming from the ceiling tiles, he said.
He called 911 and firefighters arrived in less than five minutes, but it took nearly three hours to fully extinguish the fire, said Father Lucho Palomino, Our Lady of Victory’s parochial administrator.
Because the extent of the fire wasn’t immediately known at the time, it was a priority to get the Blessed Sacrament out of the church, Father Palomino said. He and Deacon Dean Pawlowski were able to move it to the parish rectory.
When the fire alarm sounded, the parish staff and school’s 140 students and staff evacuated within minutes, gathering at a Walgreens store across the street. Buses arrived soon after to take the students to Kennedy Secondary School, where their parents could pick them up.
There were no injuries reported and everyone was able to evacuate safely.
The school building will be closed until it can be cleaned and made safe for the students, Father Palomino said. The students will return to classes on Monday, Jan. 20, at The NAZ, a Nazarene Church in Fergus Falls.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the heaviest damage is concentrated in the parish’s faith formation office. Until the damage can be fully assessed and repaired, the parish offices have been temporarily relocated to the rectory.
While the church is closed, Masses and other parish programs will be held at the two other parishes in the Pelican Valley Area Catholic Community — St. Elizabeth Parish in Elizabeth and St. Leonard Parish in Pelican Rapids.
“Next week there will be an ACC meeting to make decisions together about our future after the fire,” said Father Palomino, who was appointed parochial administrator while the pastor, Father Alan Wielinski, is on leave.
“I feel blessed to be able to serve our church in this challenging time,” Father Palomino said. “I am very grateful to Bishop Patrick [Neary] and Father Alan for their trust in me. At the same time, I am very blessed to work with great lay leaders and the great people of the Pelican Valley ACC.”
Bishop Neary visited the church and met with Father Palomino and parish staff Jan. 15.
“It was good to get a tour and see the extent of the damage,” Bishop Neary said during the visit. “There’s a good crew there now, so we’re hoping things move ahead and we’ll hopefully get things back to normal as soon as we can.”

“Like all of you, I’ve been praying for those families most affected by the raging fires in the city of Los Angeles,” he said in a written statement. “Now I’d like to ask all of us to pray for those affected by the fire that took place at Our Lady of Victory Church. I am so grateful to Father Palomino for his fine leadership during this crisis. I’m also grateful to the Fergus Falls and area fire departments for their quick response that effectively contained the fire and prevented further damage to parish buildings.”
Father Palomino said that the people are handling the crisis well.
“We have great parishioners [in our ACC] and they are showing up with a lot of love and solidarity.”