Fire damages two-story building used as a church east of Plymouth

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 4:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

Multiple fire departments responded to a structure fire east of Plymouth on Monday afternoon that caused significant damage to a building reportedly being used as a local church.

Just after 2:00 p.m. on March 30th, the Plymouth Fire Department was dispatched to a property located at 11029 11th Road. Upon arrival, crews encountered a two-story, single-family-style dwelling with heavy smoke and visible flames billowing from the rear of the structure.

Firefighters immediately launched a coordinated attack, pulling two hose lines from the engine. One crew worked to extinguish the exterior flames at the back of the building, while a second crew advanced a line through the front door to aggressively suppress the fire from the inside.

Thanks to the swift response, the blaze was quickly knocked down. According to Plymouth Fire Assistant Chief Chuy Garcia, the fire was successfully contained to the main floor of the building, which appeared to be set up and utilized as a church. While the fire damage was limited to the first floor, the remainder of the structure sustained smoke damage.

Officials confirmed that the building was unoccupied at the time the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported among civilians or first responders.

The Plymouth Fire Department received mutual aid at the scene from the Argos, Bourbon, and LaPaz fire departments.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.