First Baptist Dallas’ historic chapel was gutted by a fire that broke out on Friday, leaving parishioners and residents in mourning over the cultural landmark.
Located in the Central Business District, the church was originally built in 1871. According to the Texas Historical Commission, it consisted of a “one-room frame structure, which members financed by weaving rugs, making hominy, preserves, and cheese to sell at fairs near Dallas, then a frontier town of 2,500.”
The iconic chapel got its red brick facade in 1890. It was the only church in Downtown Dallas to remain on its original site.
“As tragic as the loss of this old sanctuary is, we are grateful that the church is not bricks and wood but composed of over 16,000 people who are determined more than ever before to reach the world for the gospel of Christ. Please pray for all of First Baptist Dallas,” said First Baptist Dallas senior pastor Robert Jeffress, according to The Dallas Morning News.
No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the four-alarm fire that more than 100 firefighters responded to Friday evening and into the early morning hours of the following day, per WFAA.
“People from all over the world would come here,” Dallas resident Michael Foutch told DMN. “It’s just a sad day. Maybe they’ll put in a landmark, a plaque, or something.”
The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation, but it was contained in the historic sanctuary and may have originated in the basement. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) were present Saturday to assist Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) with processing the scene.
“It is not standard, but not unheard of,” DFR spokesperson Robert Borse said about ATF’s involvement, according to CBS News Texas. “We requested because initial callers said they heard a ‘boom.’ That has since been proven inaccurate.”
Borse also noted that the landmark building may need to be destroyed.
“If the structure is unstable, then the structure will be demolished,” he said, per CBS. “DFR will maintain a presence on scene until the structural integrity is determined or the structure is demolished.”
First Baptist Dallas announced on Facebook that it will hold a single Sunday service at 11 a.m. in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which will be live-streamed.
“It’s devastating,” 54-year-old Michael Burks said about the loss of the building, according to DMN. “I was married there, baptized there, buried my in-laws here. It’s an incredibly important part of my life.”
