The Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced on social media that a Pacific Palisades church appears to have been destroyed by a nearby wind-driven wildfire on Tuesday.
Corpus Christi Church, located at 880 Toyopa Drive in Pacific Palisades, appears to have been set on fire Wednesday night, according to Angelus News, the official news agency for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Firefighters said the overnight winds in the area were among the worst they had ever seen.
Images shared by Angelus News showed only the skeleton of the church remaining after the fire, adding that the parish school may also have been damaged in the fire.
“The priests are safe, along with their family and friends,” the church said in a statement on its website. “Let us pray for each other during this time of transition.”
Images shared with Angelus show that as of Wednesday morning, only the skeleton of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church structure remained. There were also unconfirmed reports of damage to Corpus Christi Parish Schools. ” read more @angelusnews:
#palisadesfirehttps://t.co/xcsKwW4HhF
— Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) January 8, 2025
Wildfires burning near Los Angeles forced at least 65 Catholic schools to close Wednesday morning, Catholic Schools Superintendent Paul Escala told Angelus News.
The Palisades Fire started Tuesday morning and grew to 15,832 acres by Wednesday afternoon. It destroyed hundreds of structures.
