Antioch Missionary Baptist Church will transfer its Easter Sunday companies after the fireplace destroyed its constructing on Friday afternoon.

Companies might be held at Calahan Funeral Dwelling at 7030 South Halsted Avenue at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, the church stated.

Firefighters had been known as to the church within the 6300-block of South Stewart Avenue round 2:15 p.m. Friday. A fireplace appeared to have began on an higher ground and rapidly unfold all through the construction.

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By 2:25 p.m., CFD had escalated their response to a 2-11, after which to a 3-11 at 3:07 p.m. Greater than 194 firemen and 54 apparatuses responded to the scene, the fireplace division stated.

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Many of the constructing’s truss roof had collapsed by 3:00 p.m., division spokesman Larry Langford stated. No injures had been reported and the reason for the fireplace stays unclear.

It was unclear if anybody was contained in the church when firefighters had been dispatched, he stated. The hearth appeared to start within the higher rear of the church, the place crews first seen heavy smoke. Flames may very well be seen popping out home windows of the church in a video posted to social media.

“This church is an anchor on this group,” stated Lead Pastor Gerald Dew. “It is a place the place folks have gotten married, discovered their religion, they have been inspired, they have been geared up and empowered. It is a neighborhood church.”

The reason for the fireplace was not instantly identified and stays below investigation. Chicago hearth officers formally declared the fireplace struck out shortly after 4:00 p.m., although firefighters had been nonetheless combating flare-ups and hotspots for a number of hours after.

“Many of the roof is gone,” Langford stated. “It was a highly regarded church within the Black group.”

Dew stated he doesn’t imagine anybody was contained in the church on the time of the fireplace. Shortly earlier than the blaze started, parishioners had stuffed the pews for vacation companies to mark Good Friday.

“I do know this: If we have got to lose one thing, dropping it on Good Friday is one of the best time to lose it as a result of after Good Friday comes resurrection Sunday,” Dew stated.

And whereas parishioners had been devastated by the lack of the historic construction, they had been additionally optimistic concerning the energy of the congregation.

“It is past the partitions of the sanctuary, we’re a household past the church partitions. And we love one another,” stated Marquita Gill, church member. “It’s extremely devastating, however I do know we’ll get previous it.”

“All this does for us is offers us a better purpose to redouble our efforts to be intentional about our involvement and dedication to this group,” Pastor Dew stated.

At one level a firefighter was seen being taken away in an ambulance. Officers stated he slipped on the road and twisted his ankle; he was not injured by the fireplace.

The Solar-Occasions Media Wire contributed to this report.