Firefighters said it was too early to say why they lit the fire again, but did mention hot spots and burning wood sitting in the church. They managed to save the school next door, but they are still worried about the possibility of tearing down upright walls. The Missionary Baptist Church of Antioch will carry out the services on Easter Sunday after the fire destroyed its building on Friday afternoon. Funeral services will be held at the Calahan Funeral Home at 7030 South Halsted Street at 10:00 AM. on Sunday, the church said. Fire investigators ruled Saturday that the fire was accidental and found it was caused by crews using a propane flashlight while working on the roof of the building. “When I look at it. It is devastating and it is a great loss,” said Gerald Dew, pastor. “We mourn. We mourn the loss of this sacred space.” Firefighters were initially called to the church at 6300-block on South Stewart Avenue around 2:15 p.m. Friday. A fire appeared to have started on an upper floor and quickly spread throughout the building. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains unclear. MORE: Firefighter and 2 others injured in fire at Englewood’s home By 2:25 p.m., the CFD had scaled its response to a 2-11 and then to a 3-11 at 3:07 p.m. More than 194 firefighters and 54 firefighters responded to the scene, the fire department said. SEE: CFD briefing on the Church of Antioch fire Most of the building’s roof had collapsed at 3:00 p.m., said department spokesman Larry Langford. It was not clear if anyone was inside the church when firefighters were dispatched, he said. The fire appeared to have started in the upper back of the church, where crews initially noticed thick smoke. The flames appear to be coming out of the church windows in a video posted on social media. “This church is an anchor in this community,” Dewey said. “This is a place where people have gotten married, found their faith, been encouraged, equipped and empowered. It’s a neighborhood church.” Chicago Fire Department officials said the fire broke out shortly after 4:00 p.m., although firefighters were still battling the blaze and the blaze for several hours. Firefighters had to return to the scene several times on Saturday to extinguish the hot spots of the burnt debris that erupted under the collapse of the roof of the building. “Once the roof collapsed, all the contents under it could burn. But with the roof on top, water does not penetrate to get to the wreckage,” said Curtis Hudson, the deputy chief of staff for the Chicago fire. Department. “Most of the roof is gone,” Langford said. “It was a very popular church in the Black community.” Dewey said he did not believe anyone was inside the church at the time of the fire. Shortly before the fire started, members of the church had filled the stalls for the festive services for the celebration of 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 Resurrection Sunday,” Diu said. “I am committed to sharing the provocative 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 eldest mothers in the church. She passed away and we have her funeral here,” Deramus said. “When I heard that, it broke my heart.” The Antioch mission began in 1925 and finally settled in its current location in 1958. And while church members were devastated by the loss of the historic structure, they were also optimistic about the strength of the church. “They are beyond the walls of the sanctuary, we are a family beyond the walls of the church. And we love each other,” said Marquita Gill, a member of the church. “It is very destructive, but I know we will overcome it.” “All it does for us is give us a greater reason to redouble our efforts to be purposeful in our involvement and commitment to this community,” said Pastor Dewey. It is unbelievable, even with their church house destroyed by the flames, that those in the church hoping to gather in person for Easter Sunday service will be able to do so as the nearby Calahan Funeral Home offers their chapel at no cost to the church. “This church was out of place to come and worship. We knew we could help, so we turned to them,” said Shirley Calahan, vice president at Calahan Funeral Home. “You can not rebuild a life, but we can rebuild a building,” added Edward Callahan, president of the Calahan Funeral Home. “We hope there will be renewal, recovery, reconstruction, resurrection as we say,” Diu said. At one point, a firefighter was seen dragging an ambulance. Officials said he slipped on the road and twisted his ankle. was not injured by the fire. Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.
