Congregation, visitors cherish memories after First Baptist Dallas Church burns in four-alarm fire
DALLAS — Investigators are still working to determine the cause of a four-alarm fire that devastated the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas Church on Friday night.
The red-brick sanctuary which has served as part of the fabric of downtown Dallas for more than 130 years now stands as a charred shell of its former self. The outer walls remain standing, but drone footage reveals the interior as a mess of burned debris.
"The destruction of it, it's just horrible," said Mary Ellen McIlroy, who works in downtown Dallas. "We've been here to this church, back when I lived in Dallas as a small child. It's just heartbreaking."
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, the fire started in the basement around 6 p.m. Friday and quickly escalated to a four-alarm fire, taking crews hours to extinguish. As of Monday, firefighters were still spraying water on the structure.
ATF is assisting in the investigation to determine the fire's cause.
First Baptist Dallas is now evaluating whether the remains of the structure will need to be demolished. Church leaders are consulting with experts to determine the best path forward for the historic building, which served as the congregation's main sanctuary until 2013 when a new $135 million facility opened nearby.
Despite the devastation, thousands of congregants gathered for a Sunday morning service at the Dallas Convention Center.
"So just as we have done for 155 years, we are coming together in downtown Dallas to worship the Lord with our church family choir," said Dr. Ben Lovvorn, executive pastor of First Baptist Dallas.
In his Sunday sermon, the church's senior pastor announced plans to rebuild, though not as a replica of the original structure.
The site remains fenced off and guarded, with security ensuring people don't get too close due to concerns about the building's stability. However, this hasn't deterred visitors from coming to view the damage, take photos, and reflect on the church's significance.
"I have no doubt that we'll be bigger, better, stronger than we were before," said David Futrell, a church member. "But those memories will never go away and it will never take away from the history of a church that's over 100 years old."