It took about four-and-a-half hours to bring a Buford Church fire under control overnight.
In a mid-morning news release Friday, the fire department said the first calls about the fire came in around 10:00 Thursday night, reporting smoke coming from the roof of the First Pentacostal Church (formerly First Baptist) at 15 East Moreno Street.
Firefighters arrived at 10:06 and reported smoke coming from a vent hole at the top of the sanctuary.
Crews entered the building to search for the source of the smoke. During the search, firefighters encountered fire in the attic section above the sanctuary. As crews began their fire attack, conditions rapidly changed including a sudden intensity of heat and fire growth. Recognizing the dangerous conditions, fire crews withdrew from interior operations and got out of the building.
Shortly thereafter, portions of the church began to collapse. Additional units were requested to support defensive fire attack operations and to protect surrounding structures.
No injuries were reported.
A member of the church leadership said that two church members had seen smoke pouring out of the building and attempted to put out the fire with fire extinguishers.
Investigators say that though they could not rule out an electrical source as the cause of the fire, they did not suspect criminal activity.
(Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services)
EARLIER STORY. POSTED 6:45 MONDAY MORNING – The First Pentacostal Church in Buford was destroyed by an overnight fire. The church, located on East Moreno Street, was once the First Baptist Church of Buford.
The cause of the blaze, which occurred about midnight, was not immediately determined.
About 40 firefighters from Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services fought the blaze. No one was injured.