The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church caught fire last Thursday, leaving much of the building in ruins and covering Petersburg in smoke.

According to a statement from Fire Marshal Ryan Welde, the fire has been ruled accidental in nature and was a result of maintenance work.

The fire originated at ground level on the exterior of the building facing Dolphin Street.

It then traveled up the wall via rigid foam insulation located behind the vinyl siding and continued to spread into the eaves and attic space, as well as into the insulation under the metal roofing.

From there, the fire contin...