Portion of quake-damaged church razed

A four-foot top portion of a Vallejo church tower damaged in Sunday’s 6.0-magnitude earthquake has been removed, a police lieutenant said Tuesday.

A pastor of the First Baptist Church at 2025 Sonoma Blvd. noticed the south side of the church tower had separated from the east side of the building, Vallejo police Lt. Sid DeJesus said.

Sonoma Boulevard had been closed between Capitol and Florida streets since 3:15 p.m. Monday because of the unsound tower.

The removal of the top portion of the tower was completed by midnight today and all streets in the area are open, DeJesus said. The church remains red-tagged pending further structural assessment today, DeJesus said.