Published on July 21, 2024, 1:05 am

In a shocking development late Friday evening, the historic building of the First Baptist Church of Dallas went up in flames. The landmark structure has a venerable legacy, being led by Pastor Robert Jeffress, a vocal and longstanding supporter of ex-President Donald Trump. The fire’s cause is currently unknown and investigations remain ongoing.

Dallas Fire-Rescue was summoned to battle this outburst at 1717 San Jacinto Street with Chief Robert Borse reporting an initial alert received at 6:05 p.m., with crews promptly arriving on scene mere four minutes later. Despite significant damage to the edifice resulting in several ‘hot spots’, firefighters were successful in containing this inferno.

The affected building, confirmed as the First Baptist Church’s secondary chapel, suffered partial collapse just after 7:30 p.m. but fierce efforts from fire response teams were able to ensure that there has been no hint of escalation.

Jeffress expressed his shock upon hearing about the blaze consuming their cherished sanctuary around 6 p.m. The heritage shelter dating back to 1890 is rife with personal memories for many members including for Jeffress himself who was baptized and ordained therein when he was six and twenty-one years old respectively.

While sorrowful over losing a beloved space full of historical memories, Jeffress thanked God that everyone was safe as they had concluded vacation bible school recently and all children were safely away from this perilous event. He expressed gratitude that what truly constitutes their church are its faithful people who endure amidst trying times.

The Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated First Baptist Dallas boasts of a vibrant community of 16,000 members per its official website figures, standing second only to Catholicism within Christian denominations in size. The mystery shrouding this incident remains unsolved with nothing definitively ruled out or confirmed yet according to Jeffress.

As per data from Dallas Fire-Rescue’s website, an impressive effort involving 64 fire teams was key in quelling the furore with videos of this frightful sight swiftly becoming viral on the Internet’s social media platforms.

This shocking incident occurred in close succession to the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee that recently concluded alongside an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Jeffress, known for regularly offering prayers and praise for Trump since as early as September 2015, has frequently appeared with him at public events.

Stay tuned for more updates on this breaking news story focused on bringing you real news from a Christian worldview and trusted news sources devoid of manipulations or exaggerations.