Church fire in Bessemer City is being investigated

A fire at a Bessemer City church Monday night is under investigation. The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at the Christ Worship Center on Franklin Boulevard.

Firefighters said when they entered the church they encountered intense flames, but the fire was extinguished within 25 minutes.

According to fire officials, the building was empty at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

Channel 9’s Ken Lemon spoke to the church’s pastor about the severe damage caused by the fire.

Pastor Jimmy Manly described the entire entrance as being charred, making it almost impossible to get through the front door.

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He said he received an automatic alert about the church’s smoke detectors late last night, so he called the fire department.

“It happened fast and it was hot,” Manly said. “They can withstand up to 1,000 degrees on the hangers and had already fallen off by the time the fire department got here. That’s how hot it was when the fire department got here.”

Yet somehow the flames failed to reach the sanctuary, a site where a Sunday service had just taken place over Memorial Day weekend.

Now the church, which originally had only ten members and today has around 300 visitors, is closed due to severe smoke damage.

But Manly said the fire will not stop her community from growing.

“We know that this is about more than just a burned-out building. We have put our heart and soul into this work from the beginning. And yes, it is sad, but at the same time I knew that the church is bigger than the building,” he explained.

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He said he was unsure what message he would share with his congregation at the next service or where that service would take place.

“This is not the end. It’s just another milestone we have to reach,” Manly said.

Church leaders told Channel 9 they are already talking to insurance agents to develop a recovery plan.

They said no matter what happens next Sunday, this will always be their home.

The Gastonia Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

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