Community Mourning Loss Of Historic West Oak Cliff Church
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WEST OAK CLIFF (CBSDFW) - By late afternoon, all that remained of a historic West Oak Cliff church were ashes, debris and countless memories.
"Since they were little, I brought them to this church," said one woman as she sobbed into a friend's shoulder... adding that those children now are in their 40s. "They were raised there."
Word this morning spread faster than the flames: the iconic neighborhood church now called 'Iglesia de Cristo Camino de Santidad'... was no more.
"I already did my crying... cried for a whole two hours," and then she started again.
The name on the building over the decades changed to reflect the community's and the congregation's changing demographics.
"For those that have grown up in this neighborhood everyone knows this church as `Beverly Hills'," says Teresa Lopez. Lopez had her own memories of the corner church, as did many in the West Oak Cliff neighborhood, whether they were members of the congregation or not. "My parents have been here going on 50 years, and it's been here since then, so yeah, it's really sad. It's just really sad."
Benny Fuentes added a few of his own. "My mom used to do the fundraising, my aunt used to sing." Fuentes says he grew up in the church and recalls how hard his family worked to helped support it. He, too, is saddened at the loss. But, he's also asking questions after spotting ATF: federal Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms agents also sifting through the debris.
"My first though was hate crime, or somebody set it off," says Fuentes. "Who knows? You hope it's not the case, but you wonder, why is ATF here?"
According to Jason Evans, spokesperson for Dallas Fire Rescue, the presence of the agents should not suggest foul play.
"We have a standing relationship with ATF," says Evans, "they have a lot more resources that they can bring to investigating a fire like this than we do."
Investigators are still searching for a cause; but, tell CBS 11 that the fire appears to have started in the sanctuary. The structure is a total loss.
"Hopefully they rebuild it," says Fuentes, "get it back on its feet and serve the community for another 100 years."
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