Historic 134-year-old church damaged in fire currently has no 'structural integrity'

Saturday, as the smoke was clearing at the historic Dallas First Baptist Church, built in 1890, a Dallas Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief delivered some good news about the main church.

“So this building actually took a little bit of smoke damage. Not bad smoke damage. It’s more of just an odor,” he said.

The chief went on to share that resolving the damage won’t be extremely difficult, as large fans and an open door on the roof should help eliminate the odor.

However, the historic 134-year-old chapel didn’t receive the best news, as the chief says, “There is no structural integrity left.”

Structural engineers are now working to determine if the sanctuary can be stabilized enough for restoration. If not, the historic chapel will have to be demolished.