PROVO -- Firefighters battled a blaze Friday at the historic Provo Tabernacle in Utah.
Fire Battalion Chief Gary Jolley told the Daily Herald of Provo that crews have the fire, which broke out about 2:30 a.m., contained but not controlled.
"Firefighters (who are looking at the inside of the tabernacle) will just see a lot of rubble. The benches, the organ, whatever was in the building at the time is just probably all burned up ... total devastation inside with a shell surrounding it," Jolley told Fox 13.
The cause of the remains unknown, but is believed to have started in an upper level of the building. Investigators won't likely be able to enter the building until Saturday.
The fire collapsed the roof of the gabled landmark. Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield says there is serious structural damage to walls, peaks and gables of the building.
The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. It was originally constructed between 1883 to 1898 at a cost of $100,000. It served as a church meeting house, but is now used for community and cultural events.
The structure has octagonal towers at each of its four corners and originally had a central tower that rose 147 feet, according to a description on the National Register's web site
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman called the fire tragic.
"The building not only serves our members and the community, but is a reminder of the pioneering spirit that built Utah," Scott Trotter said. "The damage appears severe and until we make a structural assessment we won't know whether this historic treasure will be able to be saved."
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