On Sunday evening, January 20th, fire broke out in the upper sacristy at the Immaculate Conception Church in Marlborough. Residents on the upper floors of the Liberty Hill housing complex at 240 Main Street saw the flames and called the Fire Department and the Rectory. Fr. Stephen Clemence and Fr. Andrea Filipucci ran over with a fire extinguisher but were unable to enter the area despite several attempts from different directions. Marlborough Fire Department had the flames knocked down in minutes, confining the fire damage to the sacristy which was totally gutted. Other parts of the church were heavily damaged by smoke and water.

Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Gogan rang a second alarm and crews from Hudson and Northborough provided mutual aid.

WCVB aired footage of the flames shooting out of the sacristy, see it here.

Without a doubt, the fast actions of Chris Mihopolous, the Liberty Hill resident; Fr. Steven and Fr. Andrea; and the Marlborough Fire Department, prevented a catastrophic disaster.

All Masses are canceled through the end of the week. Fr. Steven is optimistic that a structural analysis will prove the building safe and Masses may resume by the week end, although construction and repairs are surely on the agenda for weeks and months. Restoration crews were on site by noon on Monday repairing smoke and water damage.