Eagan Grace Slavic Church fire forces Christmas and school relocation
Investigators say Christmas lights likely sparked a blaze that heavily damaged Eagan’s Grace Slavic Church — leaving a hole in the roof, burned gutters and boarded windows while the sanctuary cross remains — and forcing the congregation to relocate Christmas services, with another church offering space and revised schedules. The fire also displaced Baitul Hikmah Academy classes, which shifted to e‑learning and temporary host/interim spaces, as leaders and families (including many Ukrainian immigrants the church has served) cope and a recovery GoFundMe has raised about $3,700.
📌 Key Facts
- Investigators now suspect Christmas lights caused the fire, narrowing earlier reports that blamed 'holiday decorations.'
- The blaze heavily damaged the building — leaving a hole in the roof, burned gutters and boarded windows — though the cross at the front of the sanctuary remains standing.
- The fire forced Grace Slavic Church to change Christmas Day services and other worship plans; another church has offered space and specific alternate locations and schedules were arranged for holiday gatherings.
- Baitul Hikmah Academy, which used the facility, has made interim arrangements for students over the holiday period, including continued e‑learning and using temporary host churches or other interim spaces for classes and gatherings.
- Church and school leaders expressed emotional distress over the loss but said they will work to maintain community life and traditions despite losing their building.
- A GoFundMe to aid recovery had raised about $3,700 as of Saturday evening.
- Grace Slavic Church plays a broader community role — it has served as a drop‑off site for Operation Christmas Child and has been a welcoming place for many Ukrainian immigrants.
📊 Relevant Data
U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 835 home structure fires per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees, between 2015 and 2019.
Holiday Fire Safety Tips — NFPA
An estimated 150 home fires per year begin with holiday lights and other decorative lighting, causing 8 deaths, 16 injuries, and $8.9 million in property damage annually.
Holiday Data and Statistics: Proven Need for Holiday Safety Awareness — ESFI
Between 2020 and 2024, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 143 home fires per year that started with Christmas trees.
December among leading months of the year for U.S. home fires — NFPA
More than 2,000 Ukrainians have come to Minneapolis through the Uniting for Ukraine program as of March 2025.
As protections expire, Ukrainians who escaped war face an uncertain future — NPR
From 2020 to 2024, over 81,000 new Americans moved to Minnesota, making immigration the primary driver of population change.
Immigration became the leading component of population growth in Minnesota this decade — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
The Uniting for Ukraine program, launched in April 2022, has allowed around 240,000 people to arrive in the US as of May 2025.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted a large-scale population exodus, with 5.7 million Ukrainian refugees recorded by UNHCR as of September 2025.
Ukrainian refugee crisis — Wikipedia
Immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born in Minnesota.
MCLA Message on Undocumented Immigrants — Minnesota.gov
Almost 40 percent of immigrant households in the Twin Cities pay more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
New report highlights key housing issues facing immigrant communities in the Twin Cities — Minnesota Housing Partnership
Most labor force growth in Minnesota since 2010 can be attributed to immigrants.
Refugees in Minnesota: Quick Facts — Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Details on how the congregation is changing its Christmas Day service plans after the fire, including alternate worship locations and schedules.
- Specific arrangements for Baitul Hikmah Academy’s students over the holiday period (e.g., continued e‑learning, temporary host churches, or other interim space for classes and gatherings).
- Fresh quotes from church and school leaders describing the emotional impact on families and how they plan to maintain community life and traditions despite losing their building.
- Investigators specifically point to Christmas lights as the suspected cause (narrowing from prior 'holiday decorations').
- Community response: another church has offered space for Christmas gatherings; congregation expresses impact of the loss.
- Fundraising: a GoFundMe for recovery had raised about $3,700 as of Saturday evening.
- Facility details: hole in the roof, burned gutters, boarded windows; cross at the front of the sanctuary remains standing.
- Context: Grace Slavic Church has served as a drop‑off site for Operation Christmas Child and has welcomed many Ukrainian immigrants.