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Raging fire destroys Dallas megachurch’s historic chapel from the 1800s
By Deirdre Bardolf,
4 hours ago
A raging fire tore through a historic Texas megachurch Friday night, collapsing its red-brick chapel built in 1890.
The blaze began just after 6 p.m. in First Baptist Dallas’ secondary chapel known as the Historic Sanctuary, which is tucked between the church’s larger worship centers.
The structure partially collapsed just after 7:30 p.m., Dallas-Fire Rescue said, according to local reports.
It took 60 units until 9:30 p.m. to contain the 4-alarm fire, but by then the chapel had “largely collapsed.” No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation.
The First Baptist Dallas sanctuary, which sits between the church’s larger worship centers, went ablaze just after 6 p.m. on Friday.
“We are grateful that no one was injured today and are thankful for the first responders who helped contain the fire to our Historic Sanctuary,” First Baptist Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress posted on X Friday night.
“They continue working but the primary fire has been extinguished,” he added. “One way or another, we intend to meet for church this Sunday.”
We continue to praise God for His hand of protection on our church. We are grateful that no one was injured today and are thankful for the first responders who helped contain the fire to our Historic Sanctuary. They continue working but the primary fire has been extinguished. One…
Jeffress left the church shortly before they got word of the blaze, he told Fox 4 news.
A week of vacation bible school for 2,000 kids ages 3 to 12 had just concluded earlier in the day. “They were all gone,” the pastor said, adding, “I’m grateful that the church is not bricks or mortar or wood — it’s people.”
First Baptist Dallas pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress said he still intends to have Mass on Sunday despite the fire. x/ChristianPost
The sanctuary was the main place of worship for the congregation until 12 years ago when it moved to one of the larger centers in its complex.
“It holds a lot of memories,” Jeffress said, including his own baptism there at 6 years old. He has led the church since 2007.
The historic sanctuary, seen above before the fire, was the main place of worship for First Baptist Dallas until about 12 years ago when it moved to a new, larger center. x/OSHawkins
O. S. Hawkins, an author and former First Baptist Dallas pastor, shared a photo on X of the historic, stained glass sanctuary from before the fire.
“Our hearts are broken that we will never sit on these pews or stand in that pulpit of the historic sanctuary again,” he wrote, but expressed gratitude for the thousands that passed through its aisles for more than 130 years.
First Baptist Dallas church in Texas was founded in 1890 and has more than 16,000 members.
Smoke filled the night sky and could be seen as far away as White Rock Lake, six miles away in northeast Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reported. Onlookers said they could feel heat from the flames half a block away.
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