Crews battling large fire at vacant Roseland church

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Acrid smoke from a South Side church fire filled the air on Monday night, and it is expected to be a while before the flames are completely extinguished.

The church in the heart of the Roseland neighborhood has been vacant for years, but the Chicago Fire Department needed several units in what was called a 2-11 response to get the fire under control.

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Flames engulfed the brick and wood structure in the 10600-block of South Perry Avenue beginning late in the afternoon. It was originally founded as the Second Christian Reformed Church of Roseland.

One long-time Roseland resident said the church has been empty for decades, yet not a center for any activity that would detract from the close-knit nature of this corner of Roseland.

No injuries have been reported, and the structure is still smoking as of 10 p.m. Monday.

The fire is expected to take hours to completely extinguish. And after that, it is expected that the building will have to be demolished in the coming weeks.