Fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas causes historic secondary chapel to ‘largely’ collapse

The Dallas Fire and Rescue Department battled a fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas on Friday that caused the historic church’s secondary chapel, which served as a place of worship for more than a century until the church opened a new facility in 2013, to “largely collapse,” an official said.

“We are thankful that no lives were lost that we know of, even though we only had 2,000 children and volunteers on campus for Vacation Bible School,” Robert Jeffress, the church’s senior pastor, said in a statement Friday night. “As tragic as the loss of this ancient sanctuary is, we are thankful that the church is not made of brick and wood, but is comprised of more than 16,000 people who are more determined than ever to reach the world for the gospel of Christ. Please pray for all of First Baptist Church of Dallas.”

At 6:05 p.m., crews were called to the sanctuary at 1717 San Jacinto Street and encountered “heavy smoke” coming from the building fire, Capt. Robert Borse said. A thick blanket of smoke enveloped dozens of firefighters and emergency personnel working outside the church as fire alarms sounded and flashed from inside the building.

By 9:46 p.m., more than three hours after the initial call, crews had contained the blaze. No injuries have been reported, Borse said, adding that he had no reports of evacuations in the area or damage to surrounding structures.

Dallas Fire-Rescue Department arson investigators will begin an investigation into the cause once firefighting operations are complete and they are able to access the scene, he said.

Standing outside as the fire burned, Ben Lovvorn, executive pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, said: The Dallas Morning News which he believes started shortly after 6 p.m., but said he did not yet know the cause. He said he was one of the last people in the building.

“We know that God is in control and we know that even in difficult times, He is sovereign over all things,” she said. “If possible, we are planning to have church on Sunday.”

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas on Friday, July 19, 2024, in downtown Dallas.(Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)

Smoke from a fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas rises over the city on Friday, July 19, 2024. (wathen boy)

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas on Friday, July 19, 2024, in downtown Dallas.(Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas on Friday, July 19, 2024, in downtown Dallas.(Miriam Fauzia)

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department classified the fire as a two-alarm fire and at 7:25 p.m., nearly an hour and a half after responding, upgraded it to a third alarm. The fire was upgraded to a fourth alarm at 8:14 p.m., which meant more trucks were dispatched. Part of the reason for upgrading the alarm level was to protect surrounding structures from potential exposure, Borse said.

The chapel partially collapsed shortly after 7:30 p.m. Over the next hour, more than 60 units responded to the fire, according to an active call list on the Dallas Fire-Rescue website.

A fire broke out early Friday morning at the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in downtown Dallas.

At one point, a firefighter was standing on a fully extended ladder, hovering over the church’s cascading fountain, as smoke filled the air. A police officer blocking Wenchell Lane warned residents not to breathe the fumes.

Collin Buford watched in sadness and shock as his family’s former church was engulfed in flames. The 34-year-old Dallas resident, who rushed to church after seeing smoke billowing from his apartment, was baptized at First Baptist Church of Dallas as a child and said his parents had been staff members.

“I was part of the chapel choir and orchestra and participated in many summer tours, performing in the historic sanctuary many times,” Buford said. “It has been a place where I have shared many emotions: funerals, weddings, church services and more.”

Tanis Devlin sent her two children to Sunday school at First Baptist Church more than 20 years ago. She waited nearly two hours to peer out from her nearby apartment and see the coal clouds with her own eyes.

“It’s very sad,” she said as she watched the hoses rain down on the burned structure. “I realise now how bad it was,” said Devlin, 70, holding a dirty blond Yorkshire terrier named Monkey in her arms.

There was an unusual amount of foot traffic downtown as crowds gathered behind crime scene tape on nearby street corners, their faces illuminated by a panoply of red, green and blue lights flashing from ambulances and fire trucks. Waves of heat could be felt blocks away as crews battled the worst of the approaching flames.

The DART train honked continuously along Bryan Street, an incongruous tone as fire alarms continued to sound in the distance.

The First Baptist Church of Dallas began in 1868 with just three men and eight women, according to a history of News on its 150th anniversary.

The church now has about 16,000 members and says its mission is to transform the world with God’s word, one life at a time, through its ministries, including its international Pathway to Victory broadcast and its iCampus, which reaches millions of listeners and viewers around the world.

Firefighters work at the scene of a church fire on North Ervay Street, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Dallas. (Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)

Jeffress has become a well-known national figure. He is a frequent contributor to Fox News and has received criticism for some of his politically charged comments, which focused on three aspects of sustaining First Baptist’s success: commitment to the church, spreading the gospel and being rooted in the Bible.

He became one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent Christian advisers and was a frequent visitor to the White House during his presidency. Trump visited the church in December 2021. Jeffress referred to Trump several times during the visit as one of his closest friends. News Other well-known pastors who led First Baptist Church of Dallas were reported to have been George W. Truett and W. A. Criswell.

Staff writers Miriam Fauzia, Arcelia Martin and Leah Waters contributed to this report.