LITTLE ITALY — After a fire scorched part of the rectory at Notre Dame de Chicago Church, five priests living at the Catholic Church must find another place to live for now.
On Monday, crews worked to clean up damage after a fire broke out Sunday morning just before Mass was set to begin at the historic church, 1335 W. Harrison St.
The Rev. Robert Tuzik confirmed the fire started in the basement and spread up an unused laundry chute. Tuzik said he was not sure what caused the initial blaze, but said the fire was believed to have been fueled some garbage accidentally thrown into the sealed-off chute.
Two children first smelled smoke in a bathroom and reported it to church leaders, who quickly had worshippers evacuate the building. About 400 people were in the church for 10 a.m. Mass and Sunday school classes when the fire broke out, Tuzik said Monday.
A crew of more than a dozen workers from Universal Response Team worked to clean the rectory Monday, setting up more than 80 industrial fans, 30 dehumidifers and 25 air scrubbers in the building. Cesar Alba, a mitigation supervisor, said the cleanup alone will take more than a week.
Sifting through water-damaged papers on the third floor of the 129-year-old church, Tuzik said it was lucky the fire started just before church Sunday.
"I heard someone yell 'Fire,' I saw smoke downstairs — at this point there was thick black smoke coming out of the laundry chute," he said.
A Chicago fire captain who attends mass at Notre Dame de Chicago sprang into action, Tuzik said, determining where the fire was coming from before crews arrived on scene.
"God love him, he ran from the church to the rectory, he told me get the people out of the building and he'd take care of the fire department," Tuzik said. "The only reason [the third floor] is still here is [the fire department] was right on the ball and knew exactly what to do."
The third floor, which includes living quarters for five priests, sustained the most damage in the fire. Tuzik, who is special assistant to Archbishop Blase Cupich, said he would stay with retired Cardinal Francis George until he can move back into the church. Tuzik served in the same capacity under George when he ran the archdiocese.
Fire crews broke out windows on the second and third stories of the building to clear out the smoke Sunday, and most electricity in the building was knocked out after the fire.
No one was injured in the fire, and Tuzik said it is not yet known how much it would cost to repair the building.
Despite the damage, Tuzik said "without a doubt" there would be Mass Sunday, but parishioners would likely have to use portable bathrooms outside the church.
"We will get the church clean enough and the smell out of here so we can definitely have Mass," he said.
Chicago Fire officials did not return calls Monday.
This is the second time the church has had a fire in the last 35 years. In 1978, the sanctuary's dome was engulfed in flames, breaking out windows in the dome and damaging a mural.
Started as a church that served French-speaking immigrants, the Notre Dame de Chicago Parish was founded in the late 19th century. Today, the parish serves a diverse and multilingual congregation, Tuzik said, and services are offered in Spanish on major holidays.
The church building, built in 1887, has been renovated a number of times over the years, most recently in 2005.
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