Tragedy struck Douglas Christian Fellowship Church of God in Douglas, Georgia on Wednesday night when a fire broke out during a worship service, leading to the destruction of the building.
In the livestream of the service, a worship leader can be seen pointing to something off camera in the middle of a song. The other worship leader then stopped singing and the congregation can be seen quickly evacuating the building. The fire apparently broke out about 15 minutes into the service.
In a later video captured by CBS46, the building can be seen engulfed by flames.
Robert Preston Jr. of DouglasNow reported from outside Douglas Christian Fellowship, saying that a propane tank in the back of the church exploded, causing the fire. The cause of that explosion is as yet unknown.
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Thankfully, all the congregants were safely evacuated from the building, and no injuries have been reported.
The damage of the fire was extensive, causing the roof over one part of the building to collapse and another part of the building to be leveled entirely.
“This is pretty impressive, and I don’t mean impressive in a good way,” said Preston from live on the scene. “This fire happened in a hurry, it spread in a hurry, and it did a lot of damage in a hurry.”
As Preston filmed the embers of a collapsed part of the building, he said, “And it’s just incredible—and I say ‘incredible,’ now, in a good way—that nobody was hurt. We’re so thankful.”
Members of the community expressed their condolences and support for the church on Facebook following the fire. “We are praying for you all! God will restore [it] 100 fold,” one said. Another commented, “Praise God everyone got out safely. Praying for your church family!”
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