MADISON, Wis. -- Firefighters spent Monday putting out hot spots after an early-morning blaze destroyed St. Raphael Cathedral, 222 W. Main St., in downtown Madison, near the Capitol.

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The fire was reported at about 5:30 a.m. Monday. Large plumes of dark smoke could be seen from all directions toward the Capitol. Several area fire departments were called in to help Madison firefighters contain the fire. Firefighters got the fire under control at about 8 a.m. Monday. The fire burned through the church's roof and it collapsed. Firefighters spent much of the day working to save the church's steeple, which is a downtown Madison landmark.

It's unknown how the fire started.

At noon Monday, officials said they had planned to take the steeple down to protect the 100-foot spire from possible collapse. However, Monday night, they said the structure is secure enough to leave it up, for now. Workers from Findorff Builders were planning to use large cranes to bring the steeple down safely.

Findorff just erected the brand new spire in November. It was considered the crowning jewell of a million-dollar restoration of the church. The high-tech spire was designed to withstand the test of time -- as well as fire. The inside is made with steel and fire-treated wood. The outside is copper.

The new spire included special fiber optic lighting, an additional bell to add to the original two, a new cross at the top and a new clock.

No one was injured in the three-alarm blaze.

Downtown Streets Closures/Shuttles

All streets within two blocks of St. Raphael, including Fairchild, Henry and West Main, were shut down to drivers during the fire Monday.

Due to the fire, several streets in the vicinity remain closed through Tuesday morning -- basically the block immediately surrounding the cathedral:

West Washington to South Henry Street

South Henry to West Main

West Main to South Carroll

West Washington at South Fairchild

The Capitol square south parking ramp is open Tuesday.

Shuttles are running again Tuesday from the Alliant Energy Center. Shuttles will run from 6 to 9 a.m.; 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Tommy G. Thompson Commerce building at the corner of West Washington and Fairchild was evacuated because of the fire. Since the commerce building's air handling system would draw smoke into the building from the still-smoldering fire scene, it remained closed the rest of the day, but the building will be open Tuesday.

Historic Steeple Survives

Some say it's a miracle the 40-ton steeple at St. Raphael's survived an early-morning blaze that destroyed the city's oldest Catholic church.

St. Raphael's is about 150 years old, making it the oldest Catholic church in Madison. It's the center of worship in the Diocese of Madison.

Msgr. Paul Swain told News 3's Rob Starbuck he was in the building when the fire broke out and actually heard about the fire on a radio report and quickly got out of the building. Swain said the timing of the fire is unfortunate considering next week is Holy Week and the Easter holiday is soon; however, he remains optimistic.

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"Our faith is not built around buildings, it's built around Christ who rose at Easter," he said. "The whole theme of Easter is light coming out of darkness. We are people of hope. We'll persevere and move forward."

Bishop Robert Morlino of the Madison Diocese regularly celebrates Sunday mass at St. Rafael and told News 3 he's in a "state of prayer and a state of shock."

Hundreds of people of all backgrounds turned out to watch the church burn Monday -- staring in disbelief at the scene.

"It's so sad," downtown alderman Mike Verveer said Monday. "I've been here since about 6 a.m. and just seeing the number of people coming up so emotional, tears streaming down their cheeks .... when you think of all the memories that took place in this beautiful edifice."

In addition to Easter celebrations, Madison is near its 150th birthday and honoring landmarks, such as St. Rafael's, is to be part of the festivities.

"It's a very sad day for Madison," said Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. "We're about to celebrate our sesquacentennial as a city-- the building's actually two years older than the city."

News 3 and Channel 3000 will have more information about future plans as they become available.

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