Downtown Dallas fire: First Baptist Dallas historic sanctuary partially destroyed
DALLAS - The historic First Baptist Church sanctuary built in the 1800's went up in flames Friday evening.
The fire reached four alarms after the roof partially collapsed, but it has now been contained.
Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress says he’s grateful no congregants were harmed.
Crews were first called to the church at the corner of San Jacinto and North Ervay Street just after 6 p.m.
First responders were met with heavy smoke when they first arrived. It originated as a two-alarm fire but quickly grew to four alarms.
Things seemed to be mostly under control until the flames rekindled around 7:35 p.m. when the roof partially collapsed.
Dallas Fire-Rescue called for a fourth alarm at 8:14 p.m. Dozens of firefighters have been on scene all afternoon trying to control the flames and pushing people back to safety.
Jeffress said no one has been hurt.
"I was baptized there when I was 6, I was ordained in ministry when I was 21. It holds a lot of memories. We thank God that nobody has been hurt. We had just concluded vacation bible school with over 2,000 kids. They were all gone, so God has protected us through all this," Jeffress told FOX 4. "I'm grateful that the church is not bricks or mortar or wood; it's people."
First Baptist is expected to hold a service at 11 a.m. at the Dallas Convention Center on Sunday.
Investigators believe the fire may have started in the church’s basement.
Most firefighting operations began to shut down around 2 in the morning.
On Saturday morning, crews were still in the area of the church, spraying water to extinguish hot spots.
The building is currently inaccessible because fire officials are concerned about its structural integrity.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says the church will be required to put barriers around the building, provide 24 hour security and structural engineer's report within 24 hours.
If the sanctuary is determined to be unstable, then it will be demolished.
Dallas Fire-Rescue will continue to have crews on scene until the building is declared secure or it is demolished.
The cause of the fire is being classified as undetermined, but that could change if new information comes to light, DFR says.
Drone Video Shows Damage at Church
FOX 4 viewer Elias Canales shared drone video of the damage at First Baptist Dallas.
The video from above the historic sanctuary shows much of the building was damaged in the fire.
While the exterior walls to most of the building are still standing, the video shows significant damage to the interior.
First Baptist Dallas
First Baptist Dallas was started in 1868, but the red brick building, known as the historic sanctuary was not built until 1890, according to the Texas Historic Commission.
The church received a historical marker in 1968.
This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 4 for more info.