Members of church in Norristown, Pennsylvania, determined to rebuild after fire: "That's the community church"
Federal and state officials have been called to investigate a large fire that broke out at the Faith Tabernacle House of Prayer in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
The fire started just before 7 p.m. on Jan. 7. at the church on 540 Dekalb Street, where fire officials said Wednesday morning that the church's pastor was inside making meals for the homeless when he heard a loud boom and saw flames.
Members of the historic church said they are determined to rebuild after the building was heavily damaged.
"It's going to hurt a lot," said Bishop Cardy Nicolas, of Revelation Church of God.
Nicolas visited the scene of the fire to get a closer look at the damage. He said his church is one of three that uses the building to hold worship services.
"This building by itself is a monument to the community," said Nicolas.
Paul Owens, the deacon at Faith Tabernacle House of Prayer, said he's grateful nobody was injured in the blaze. Owens said he's been with the church his entire life and it crushed him to see firefighters battle the fire Tuesday night.
"It's so sad, I'm trying to keep myself together, but I'm just grateful nobody else got hurt," Owens said. "All the memories, the history of the church, it's a bad feeling," he added. "It's a bad feeling."
The fire was brought under control by 5:30 a.m., though crews were on the scene early in the morning to douse the church with water and put out hot spots. Norristown Fire Chief Tom O'Donnell said the church was heavily damaged, and video from Wednesday morning showed significant damage to the roof and windows.
It took crews more than 10 hours to get the fire under control.
Firefighters were battling cold conditions as well as the flames. Temperatures were below freezing overnight and areas that were doused with water froze overnight. Icicles could be seen hanging from power lines, and there were several slippery surfaces around the church. Some vehicles parked near the scene were encased in ice.
Nicolas said his church is the only one in Norristown that serves the Haitian community but all three churches play a huge role in helping neighbors.
"We just welcome everybody here," he said. "That's the community church."
Officials are still working to determine the cause. The ATF and state police are helping in the investigation.
Owens said the church has about 225 members who reside all over, including in Philadelphia and other parts of Montgomery County like Collegeville. He said they'll have to find a new place to worship due to the fire.
It's unclear how the blaze started, but Owens said it began at the back of the church. He was notified about the fire from a neighbor and he got down there as fast as possible.
Jorai LaPrince Sr., a minister at the church, said they're hoping for the best.
"At the end of the day, we're going to strive, we're going to continue to worship and we're going to continue to do what we need to do and hopefully rebuild," he said.
Chief O'Donnell said Pennsylvania State Police and representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were arriving Wednesday to join the investigation, and a structural engineer will take a look at the integrity of the church and surrounding buildings.
"Setbacks within the Christian faith, setbacks make us stronger. We are not looking at the physical building but we are looking at building up in the spirit," said Deacon Joe Holod, of Revelation Church of God.
Nicolas said he is now holding on to faith that better days are soon to come.
"We are serving a living God. He never got surprised by anything," he said. "If he allowed it to happen, that means he has a vision for us to get back on our feet."
Nicolas said his church is still planning to have a service on Sunday. Right now, he's unsure where that will be, but he's determined to have one in person.