Fire Destroys South Carolina Church Sanctuary
South Carolina–Investigators Thursday sifted through what was left of the Centerville Church of God after fire destroyed its sanctuary and education wing.
No one was in the building at the time the fire was started and no injuries were reported.
Flames shoot through the roof of the Centerville Church of God.
According to Greenvilleonline.com, the fire at the Centerville Church on Whitehall Road was reported around 5:45 a.m., according to Anderson County Fire Chief Billy Gibson. Terry Collins, the church’s pastor said, “By the time I got there it was going good. They were doing everything they could do to put it out, and it just kept going.”
“Fire was showing through the roof when they arrived,” Gibson said. Investigators have ruled that the fire was accidental and that it likely started from an electrical problem in an attic above one of the church offices, the fire chief said. The Centerville Fire Department was the first on the scene of the blaze. Three other fire departments arrived a short time later. The blaze was brought under control in around 45 minutes.
Gibson said damage was heaviest to the education wing at the rear of the structure and to the church sanctuary, with smoke and water damage throughout the building.
According to Pastor Collins, little can be saved from what is left of the church that was like a home to the small congregation. He said the church plans to hold its service this Sunday at a sister church, West Anderson Church of God, until a more permanent home can be found.
Collins summed up the incident by saying, “It looks bad, but God’s going to do something with it. I know He will.”
