On Wednesday afternoon you could still smell the smoke from the Lincoln Highway. The day before, neighboring community, Ada, lost one of its structural gems to fire - its First United Methodist Church, at the north end of Ada's Main Street business district.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Children from a Head Start day care center, housed in the church, escaped without injury.

Main Street, Ada, which is also State Route 235, is closed within a block of the church and traffic is rerouted around Ada.

Bluffton firemen joined in fighting the blaze with departments from Ada, Alger, McGuffey, Kenton, Dunkirk, Lafayette, Mt. Cory and Jenera.