UPDATE: Fire damages church in rural Wells County

HAMBERG, N.D. (KFYR) - UPDATE (7/10/2026 at 8:06 a.m.): According to Fessenden Fire Chief Aaron Opdahl, they received a call of a fire shortly before 7:45 p.m.

Harvey Fire assisted in the response.

Crews finished mop-up work around midnight.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY (7/9/2026 at 11:13 p.m.): A fire caused heavy damage to a church in rural Wells County Thursday night.

Viewers shared images with Your News Leader of fire crews working on flames at the church south of the town of Hamberg. A local radio station confirmed the structure as Concordia Lutheran Church.

One photo shows flames coming out of the church’s steeple.

Details are limited, and the cause of the fire is unclear, though the church is not far from a confirmed tornado Thursday, roughly four miles southwest of Hamberg.

Your News Leader reached out to Fessenden Fire Protection District for more information and will update when we learn more.