Early Morning Church Fire

Charred remains, billowing smoke and flames are all that remain of the Thompson Springs Baptist Church, just off Bates Pike in Cleveland.  Crews worked tirelessly to put out the fire that engulfed the church in the pre-dawn hours.

"It looks like the fellowship hall, Sunday school room, sanctuary, it's all a total loss," says Pastor Joe White.  He's been with Thompson Springs Baptist for four years.  He says he was awakened by an urgent phone call around 3:30 am.

"Got on scene around 4, there was just so much smoke I couldn't even get near the church," says White.

The fire was so strong, crews from Polk and Hamilton Counties joined Bradley County firefighters in snuffing the blaze.  Right now, White says firefighters have told him the fire appears to have started in the back of the church, before it spread.

"Sadness, disbelief, I'm thankful no one was in it.  It's just a building, we have our memories from the building," White says.    

As crews worked to put out the fire, they were protecting a building under construction on the same property--a new sanctuary. It still has a few months to go before it's ready to open its doors.

The old sanctuary was built in 1932.  White's still unsure of of the church's immediate future, but says he and his members will continue their worship services.  The fire, it appears, may have leveled the decades-old building but it certainly hasn't shaken the congregation's faith.

"We put it behind us as best we can, we grieve, and move forward," he says.