DALLAS, Texas — Leaders with the First Baptist Church of Dallas filed a roughly 200-page report with Dallas Fire-Rescue on Monday to preserve the remaining structure of its historic sanctuary, which was gutted by a sudden fire Friday evening.
The report also intends to maintain as much of the scene as possible so that fire investigators, who have already been in the church's basement, can continue determining the cause of the blaze.
The plan, per church officials, is to rebuild and restore the building. It told WFAA Monday that it's working with firms that specialize in just that- one from New York City that helped revitalize buildings after 9/11.
Fire officials Friday told WFAA that the fire began in the basement and consumed the building's innards. The basement was a library and museum for the church, where records and artifacts from its century-plus history were kept.
The church has stood in downtown Dallas since 1891, when the city's population was less than 50,000.
Dr. Ben Lovvorn, the church's executive pastor, told WFAA Monday that investigators could access the church's basement through a tunnel leading out to the street. After offering that info, he was excited to share that one of the church's most beloved artifacts, a wooden pulpit used for decades by longtime pastors W.A. Criswell and George Washington Truett, was pulled out and spared.
Friday's fire filled the city skyline with smoke that could be seen for miles. Over 100 firefighters fought for more than three hours to douse the blaze and keep it from spreading to other buildings.
The church held services at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown due to concerns about smoke damage in its newer, adjacent sanctuary.
Cleaning crews have been in that sanctuary, and, per Lovvorn, the hope is to have services back in that building by Sunday.
He said there's been an outpouring of support--adding that he wasn't the only one who grew up in that building.
"My family has been in this church for five generations. I committed my life to the ministry in that room, and I met my wife and got married there," Lovvorn said. "From across the world--people are reaching out to us asking what they can do to help. The first step is construction to secure the building and then hopefully preserve the three exterior walls that still stand in the sanctuary. We don't have all the answers yet--and while this is a tragedy, it's also an opportunity to stand strong and demonstrate who we are in Jesus Christ."
No one was injured in the fire. The ATF told WFAA that its fire investigators have been asked to be on standby for help if needed.