CHICAGO (WLS) – A fire at a favorite landmark church in Englewood broke out again on Saturday morning.
Firefighters said it was too early to say what re-ignited the fire, but mentioned hotspots and burning wood in the church. They managed to save the school next door, but remain concerned about the possibility of collapsing standing walls.
The Antiochian Missionary Baptist Church will reschedule Easter services after a fire destroyed its building on Friday afternoon. Services will be held at the Callahan Funeral Home at 7030 South Halsted Street at 10 a.m. Sunday, the church said.
Firefighters on Saturday determined the blaze was accidental and found it was caused by teams using a propane burner while working on the roof of the building.
“When I look at it. It’s devastating and it’s a great loss,” said Chief Pastor Gerald Dew. “We mourn. We mourn the loss of this sacred space.”
Firefighters were originally called to church at block 6300 on South Stewart Avenue around 2:15 p.m. Friday. It appears that the fire started upstairs and quickly spread throughout the structure. No casualties have been reported and the cause of the fire remains unclear.
MORE: Firefighter, 2 others injured in Englewood house fire
By 2:25 p.m., the CFD had escalated its response to 2-11 p.m., then to 3-11 a.m. at 3:07 p.m. More than 194 firefighters and 54 vehicles responded to the scene, the fire department said.
WATCH: CFD Update on Antioch Church Fire
Most of the roof of the building collapsed by 3 p.m., said department spokeswoman Larry Langford.
It is unclear if anyone was inside the church when firefighters were sent, he said. The fire appears to have started in the upper back of the church, where crews first noticed heavy smoke. You can see flames coming out of the church windows in a video posted on social media.
“This church is an anchor in this community,” Dew said. “This is a place where people have gotten married, found their faith, been encouraged, equipped and empowered. This is a neighborhood church.
Chicago fire officials officially announced that the fire broke out shortly after 4 p.m., although firefighters were still battling the blaze and hotspots a few hours later.
Firefighters had to return to the scene several times on Saturday to extinguish hot spots from burning debris burning under the collapsed roof of the building.
“Once the roof collapses, all the contents under it can still burn. But with the roof on top, water doesn’t penetrate to get into the rubble,” said Deputy District Chief Curtis Hudson of the Chicago Department of Fire.
“Most of the roof is gone,” Langford said. “It was a very popular church in the Black Community.”
Dew said he did not believe anyone was in the church at the time of the fire. Shortly before the fire began, church members had filled the benches for the holiday services to celebrate Good Friday.
“I know this: if we have to lose something, losing it on Good Friday is the best time to lose it, because after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday,” Dew said. “I am committed to sharing the challenging message of the power of the resurrection.”
Tara Deramus had to see it for herself.
He did not want to believe that his beloved church was gone.
“I was baptized here at the age of 7 and my mother was one of the older mothers of the church. She left and we have her funeral services here,” Deramus said. “When I heard about it, my heart broke.
The Antiochian missionary began in 1925 and eventually settled in 1958.
And while church members were devastated by the loss of historical structure, they were also optimistic about the strength of the flock.
“This is beyond the walls of the sanctuary, we are a family beyond the walls of the church. And we love each other,” said Markita Gill, a member of the church. “It’s very devastating, but I know we will overcome it.”
“Everything he does for us gives us a greater reason to redouble our efforts to be focused on our participation and commitment to this community,” said Pastor Dew.
Incredibly, even when their church home is devastated by flames, those in the flock who hope to gather in person for the Easter service will be able to do so after the nearby Callahan Funeral Home offered their chapel to the church for free.
“This church was without a place to come and worship. We knew we could help, so we looked for a hand,” said Shirley Callahan, vice president of the Callahan Funeral Home.
“You can’t remodel life, but we can remodel a building,” added Edward Callahan, president of the Callahan Funeral Home.
“We hope there will be renewal, restoration, restoration, resurrection, so to speak,” Dew said.
At one point it was seen that a firefighter was taken away by ambulance. Officials said he slipped on the street and sprained his ankle; he was not injured in the fire.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
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