A fire started and was extinguished in the historic Echo Park United Methodist Church building this morning, August 21, 2025. The building is currently empty. We will be assessing the damage in the coming days and will provide updates as they are available.

West District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Saia Tu’itahi shared “We are grateful that the fire at this historic church building was quickly contained, thanks to the swift response of the local fire department.”

A report is available from KTLA below and on their website:

Fire reported in 100 year old Echo Park church

by: Tony Kurzweil

A longstanding church in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood, which is currently vacant due to needed repairs, caught fire Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called to the Echo Park United Methodist Church on North Alvarado and Reservoir streets shortly before 7 a.m.

Aerial video from Sky5 showed smoke billowing out the front door of the two-story church as firefighters entered to extinguish the blaze.

“Fire crews forced access and located fire in a closet,” the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert.

The fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes, and no injuries were reported, the Fire Department said. 

The Echo Park United Methodist Church (EPUMC) community has been in Echo Park since 1906, with the current church building being dedicated in 1924, according to the EPUMC website.

The church has been closed due to renovations needed to the bell tower, after a powerful 2024 storm revealed structural damage.