A fire has nearly destroyed the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, sending smoke billowing across the city but no deaths or injuries were reported, Dallas fire officials said.
The fire at the Texas Historic Landmark, a red brick Victorian church built in 1890, was reported around 6:30 p.m. Friday and was under control about three hours later, fire officials said.
“We believe it started in the basement and then went up to the second floor, but until we clean everything up and do an investigation, we don’t know the cause,” said Interim Fire Chief Justin Ball. told KDFW-TV.
A fire department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Saturday morning.
“We are thankful that no one was injured…and we are grateful to the emergency responders who helped contain the fire in our historic sanctuary,” senior Pastor Robert Jeffress said. “We just had 2,000 kids and volunteers on campus for Vacation Bible School earlier today.”
The evangelical megachurch, with 16,000 members, now holds its main services in a modern house of worship next to the historic sanctuary. Jeffress, a staunch supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, told WFAA-TV that he plans to hold a church service there on Sunday.
