A fire broke out early Friday evening at the historic First Baptist Dallas church downtown.
Initially, 40 Dallas Fire and Rescue units responded. More than an hour later, a third alarm was called in, and flames could be seen breaking through the roof of part of the church.
At around 8 p.m., nearly 60 units were responding to the fire. A Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson said there has been a partial collapse of the structure. Here’s what we know so far:
At 6:05 p.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue was called to the building 1717 San Jacinto Street in downtown Dallas, fire Capt. Robert Borse said in a statement. The fire was located in the secondary chapel of the downtown megachurch. Images of the secondary chapel on Friday showed it engulfed in flames.
One resident who lives several blocks away said she heard a “boom” loud enough to rattle her windows. But Borse said first responders could not confirm whether there was a “boom” when the fire broke out.
Two other people who were near the church said they did not hear a boom. Lovvorn said he believes the fire started shortly after 6 p.m. But added he did not yet know the cause.
