First Baptist Dallas will once again hold its Sunday services at the convention center after its downtown campus was damaged in a four-alarm fire last week.
In the church’s latest update on Friday, executive pastor Ben Lovvorn said crews are working to preserve the historic sanctuary’s outer walls.
“The historic sanctuary and the rest of our campus is still very much a work site,” Lovvorn said.
Fire officials said the fire is believed to have started in the basement and spread to the second floor, destroying more than 130 years’ worth of church history. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
It took about 100 firefighters several hours to put out the flames, which “largely collapsed” the building, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Lovvorn announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the church received approval from the city to begin work on preserving the three sanctuary walls that are still standing.
Lovvorn says crews have made “significant progress” in repairs and that power and electricity have been restored. He said he hopes services will resume at the church next week.
“Barring any surprises, we're fairly confident that we're going to be able to worship here at First Baptist Dallas next Sunday,” he said.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.
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