By Ashley Yarchin
Madison, IL (KSDK) - The old church was being remodeled at the time.
PHOTOS - Church burns in Madison, Illinois
Folks have been driving past the wreckage of The Sacred Heart of Jesus Polish National Church all day, sharing stories from when they married here or simply enjoyed parties and the church's famous perogies.
So, it's been hard on the community.
Fortunately, recovery has already begun thanks to the folks who are actually responsible for the mess.
Love Construction and Roofing was at the church Wednesday repairing the roof following the damage from a hail storm a few weeks ago.
Apparently, the repairs required some heat and flames to affix the rubber to the top of the building.
Shortly after that was done, the workers left for the day and within 10 minutes the church was engulfed in flames.
But the parishioners say there are no hard feelings, it was an accident.
Both church members and roofers have spent the day doing what they can to move forward.
"Maybe this is a new beginning. God has different ways to do things, maybe this is it. Maybe we can come back strong and maybe people from St. Louis gonna help us, too, and people from Madison here, maybe even Granite City," said Jacek Masoak.
Now, the reason he mentioned St. Louis is that this church has a parish there, across the river. So, the hope is everyone will step up and help breathe new life into the old Polish church.
KSDK