A firefighter was found dead after the roof of a burning church in Muncie collapsed Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The blaze at the Tabernacle of Praise Church at 2200 E. Fuson Road was reported just before 4 p.m.
Muncie firefighters, along with several volunteer firefighters, were battling the blaze when the roof collapsed about 15 minutes into the fight, officials said.
Scott Davis, 40, was later found dead in the rubble, officials confirmed. Davis has three children and was once a fire chief in Yorktown.
Skycam 6 showed fellow firefighters circling the spot where Davis was found as a ladder truck continued to pour water on the structure.
The church's sanctuary, where the roof collapsed, and an attached building housing classrooms were destroyed. A gymnasium, which was added in 1996, was damaged.
Church officials said there are 200 members. Many of the members of the congregation watched as the sanctuary they built by hand burned to the ground, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.
Patrica Tyner, the pastor's wife, said it had been a labor of love.
"Everyone pitched in and worked. It was a lot of labor that went into it," Tyner said. "You can replace a building. You can't replace a life."
None of the members were inside when the fast-spreading flames broke out. The part of the roof that collapsed on the firefighter had been over the sanctuary.
Once the fire was out and the fallen firefighter's body was located, fellow Muncie firefighters stood over him with their heads bowed.
"I think he had children and a wife. Our prayers are with them," Tyner said.
His brothers saluted as his body was pulled from the ashes, loaded into an emergency vehicle and led away in a procession.
Mark Watson was one of many church members who looked on with a heavy heart.
"We just want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with them right now. We're really grateful for what they did for our church," Watson said.
Fire investigators had yet to determine what sparked the blaze. A news conference was planned for 11 a.m. Thursday.
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Funeral Arrangements
Visitation for Firefighter Davis will be held Monday, June 20 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Horizon Convention Center, 401 South High Street Muncie, Ind.
Funeral services will be held June 21 at 11 a.m. at the Horizon Convention Center, followed by burial at Elm Ridge Cemetery.
