In the early evening hours of October 9th, 2002, the historic Trinity Episcopal Cathedral caught fire and sustained substantial damage. No serious injuries were reported.

The sanctuary of the 82 year old Cathedral was said to be a "total loss" according to Assistant Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan. An estimated $3 million in damage was done during the fast moving blaze.

The rest of the church building sustained smoke damage and the recently dedicated 3,000-pipe organ sustained "significant damage."

After an extensive investigation by the Phoenix Fire Department, it was concluded that the cause of the fire was accidental.

The fire started in the vesting room area, then quickly spread into the western Cathedral wing of the complex, burning as hot as 1200 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas.  The fire did not progress to the mezzanine or second floor office suites, although those areas did sustain some smoke damage.

The two alarm blaze took 85 firefighters about 15 minutes to gain control and necessitated vast amounts of water to be used on the structure fire due to false ceilings and hidden spaces.

Many of the Cathedral's parishioners gathered near the church and wept, prayed and consoled each other at the losses to the much beloved Cathedral.  Just hours after the blaze was extinguished both parishioners and staff vowed to rebuild saying that "resurrection is what the church is all about."

In 1988, Trinity Cathedral was accepted as the Cathedral of the Diocese of Arizona and places it at the same level as the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

In 2000-2001, the Cathedral underwent a $2 million restoration as part of the revitalization of the surrounding downtown Phoenix neighborhood.  This restoration included the installation of the red-oak Schantz pipe organ and its 3,000 pipes.