Dr. Robert Jeffress has expressed gratitude that no one was injured in a massive fire that ripped through the First Baptist Dallas church on Friday, partially destroying the historic building’s sanctuary, which has stood since 1890.
The fire reportedly broke out in the basement of the megachurch, located in Downtown Dallas at the corner of San Jacinto and North Ervay Street, at around 6 p.m.
Video shows heavy flames tearing through the landmark building, with thick black smoke billowing high into the Dallas skyline. Things seemed to be mostly under control until the flames rekindled around 7:35 p.m., when the roof of the sanctuary partially collapsed, Fox 4 Dallas reports.
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Jeffress said that around 2,000 children had been inside the building earlier, but they had left well before the four-alarm inferno broke out. First Baptist Dallas has around 16,000 members and part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the world's largest Baptist organization.
"This historic sanctuary was the site of many personal events, including my own, I was baptized there when I was 6, I was ordained in ministry when I was 21. It holds a lot of memories," Jeffress told Fox 4.
"But we thank God that nobody has been hurt. We had just concluded vacation bible school with over 2,000 kids. They were all gone, so God has protected us through all this."
"I'm grateful that the church is not bricks and mortar or wood; it's people. And the people of God will endure, First Baptist Dallas will endure, and we thank so many of our friends around the country who are praying for us right now."
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Jeffress posted on X at around 9:30 p.m. that the primary fire had been extinguished.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Justin Ball told reporters that the fire likely began in the basement, where there’s a library and a museum.
Jeffress said deacons are concerned that church records inside the library could be lost.
O.S. Hawkins, former pastor of the church, called it a "tragically sad day" for the congregation on X.
First Baptist Dallas was started in 1868, but the red brick building, known as the historic sanctuary, was not built until 1890, according to the Texas Historic Commission.
It is the only downtown Dallas Church still on its original site, and the church received a historical marker in 1968.
The church posted to Facebook late Friday and thanked first responders for their efforts in battling the blaze before declaring that the congregation will still gather this weekend.
"One way or another, we intend to meet for church this Sunday," the post reads. "More details to follow. We hope to see you there."
