Fire at Ephrata church deemed accidental

The Ephrata Fire Department determined the cause of the Ephrata United Methodist Church fire at 117 C St. NW Sunday morning as accidental.

A candle left burning in a bathroom overnight started the fire, which extended into a nearby office and into the attic, reported the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Offices and study rooms sustained extensive fire damage.

The Ephrata Fire Department, along with Grant County fire districts 13, 3 and 7 responded to the blaze at 8:30 a.m. The fire was extinguished by 10:40 a.m. and no one was injured.

There is no connection between Sunday’s fire and the April 3 fire at the House of Prayer Slavic Baptist Church in Soap Lake, the GCSO said.