Aug 3, 2008 8:09 am US/Eastern
Lightning May Be The Cause Of Hampden Church Fire
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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A church in Hampden caught on fire.
CBS
Hampden residents are back in their homes after an early morning three-alarm blaze forced them to evacuate and left a historic city church in ruins.
Gigi Barnett reports that a heavy lightning storm, which moved through the area, may have been the cause.
At least 30 homes were evacuated during the fire and there will be no services on Sunday.
The stained glass is shattered, the historic steeple charred and members of the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church located at Chestnut Avenue and 33rd in Hampden are left wiping away tears.
"How do you tell people your church is gone. We have fought so hard to keep this church open, because we're like any other church, we have no money," said Betty Callahan, church member
Now, it's destroyed and lightning may be the cause. A fast-moving overnight storm swept through the area, bringing rain, lightning and thunder.
"We had a really bad storm last night and lightning was just terrible. So, it just looks like that's what happened," said Robin Johnson, church pastor.
Around the time of the storm, neighbors near Chestnut Avenue smelled smoke and and saw flames.
Betty Callahan's son thought it was coming from another house.
"He says, 'Mom, there's a big fire in one of the houses out back," said Callahan.
He ran outside and soon realized it was the church.
"He came back in and almost ran me over. He says, 'my God, Mom. it's the church,'" said Callahan.
Firefighters cleared the area and evacuated people next to the fire. The biggest danger is an unstable steeple that has been there since the church was built in the 1850s.
"We have taken all precautionary measures in the event if the steeple was to fall. We established a collapsed zone in a safe area so that no one would be injured," said Capt. Roman Clark, Baltimore City Fire Department.
Neighbors say Mount Vernon was a pillar in Hampden. As they watched it crumble, their faith still stands.
"It is a building. If it goes to the ground, I've still got my faith. God's going to take care of us. That's what it's all about," said Callahan.
So far firefighters have not confirmed how the blaze began and although the church plans to combine their Sunday service with Hampden United Methodist Church.
They will discuss rebuilding plans after the service.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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