First Baptist Dallas' historic sanctuary may need to be demolished, cause undetermined
DALLAS - First Baptist Dallas' historic sanctuary, first built in 1890, may have to be demolished after a fire on Friday night, Dallas Fire-Rescue says.
Officials say the fire started in the basement of the historic building around 6 p.m. and grew to a 4-alarm fire.
While crews were working to contain it, the roof partially collapsed
No one was injured, officials say.
Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress says 2,000 kids and hundreds of adults were in the sanctuary on Friday for vacation bible school. They all left by 4 p.m.
"That’s miraculous protection by God to spare not only those children, but any lost lives, and we thank God for that," said Jeffress.
On Saturday, crews were still outside the church spraying for hot spots and keeping an eye on the building with the stench of smoke still hanging in the air.
The sanctuary is currently inaccessible because fire officials are concerned about its structural integrity.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says First Baptist will be required to put barriers around the building, provide 24-hour security and obtain a structural engineer's report within 24 hours.
If the sanctuary is determined to be unstable, it will be demolished.
"The truth is the church is not made up of wood, brick or mortar, it’s made up of the people who are in that worship center and that’s what really matters," said Jeffress.
Jeffress says he's working with the city to see if any of the building's structure can be preserved.
The cause of the fire is being classified as undetermined, because firefighters have not been able to enter the building to investigate.
That could change if new information comes to light, DFR says.
The ATF is assisting in the investigation. Jeffress says from his understanding, that is purely procedural.
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 Church holding service Sunday
First Baptist is expected to hold a service at 11 a.m. at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Sunday.
The service will also be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and the church's website.
Jeffress says he plans to announce that the church will rebuild.
"One way we defeat the devil's plan is to rebuild what was torn down. We’re not going to let those flames have the final say," he said.
First Baptist Dallas has around 16,000 members and part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the world's largest Baptist organization.
"There's no place like it," said churchgoer John Hammett.
Hammett joined the congregation in 1974.
He and his wife, Joan, tried out other local churches, but came back to First Baptist in 2000.
"It was just a great place to bring our kids and we just miss it. I mean this is going to be bad. It will be missed greatly," said Joan Hammett.
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 became a historical landmark in 1968.
It became a second sanctuary when the church opened a new facility in 2013.