Jan 18, 2008 6:35 pm US/Central
Fire Severely Damages West Side Church
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A fire broke out Friday at this North Austin neighborhood church.
CBS
It was a scene of fire and ice Friday morning on Chicago's West Side.
Flames ripped through an old and historic church in the North Austin neighborhood, sending one firefighter to the hospital.
Members of the congregation say it will be difficult, but they are vowing to regroup and rebuild.The massive church fire sent flames and smoke shooting into the morning air.
Crews responded around 9:15 a.m. to a fire at the Emmanuel Temple Church, at 562 N. LeClaire Ave. By 11 a.m., most of the fire crews were cleaning up. Firefighters battled the blaze beginning with an interior attack inside the church, and moved to tower ladders outside later, but now the Emmanuel Temple AME Church is in ruins.
"There's nothing you can say…it's gone," said church member Ameerah Johnson.
"We've done a lot for the community, given back so much – it's just devastating," said Chadawn Parker, a youth leader at the church.
"There are no words right now," said assistant pastor Rev. Dawn Parker. "It's devastating, it's surreal, it's unbelievable."
The congregation is small, only 20 people, but the place of worship has great historic value. According to firefighters, the building has been standing for 100 years.
"They very honestly tried to do their very best to save this structure, unfortunately it just wasn't to be," said fire deputy Patrick Kehoe.
Firefighters braved single digit temperatures putting out the blaze. One suffered a shoulder injury and was taken to the hospital.
As for members of the church, they are now turning to each other and the power of prayer to cope with their loss.
"It's gonna mean a pulling together, it's going to mean a retooling and refueling," Parker said. "Most of all, it's gonna mean an extreme showing of our love for the Lord and for each other."
The fire destroyed the entire roof of the sanctuary, but the bell tower and steeple remained standing.
A wooden frame house next door to the church was also damaged. But no injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl, Vince Gerasole, and the STNG Wire, contribtued to this report.
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