BALTIMORE --
A three-alarm fire destroyed an east Baltimore church that had served the community for nearly 50 years.
The fire occurred at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Mt. Calvary Star Baptist Church on North Milton Avenue. When crews arrived, they found heavy fire and hazardous conditions, as well as downed power lines in the rear of a 1-1/2 story church building.
"While units were responding, you could literally see a heavy plume of smoke clear across town," said fire spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright.
The fire occurred on North Milton Avenue. | VIEW MORE PHOTOS
The roof of the building collapsed, and the front and rear walls collapsed as well, according to 11 News reporter Kate Amara. About 100 firefighters responded to the scene.
No one was reported injured. The fire took about three hours to get under control. By then, the building was considered so dangerous it had to be demolished.
Pastor Alex Young watched the church go up in flames.
"I grew up in the church. I'm a son of the church. It's a great loss, a great hurt," he said through tears.
"I'm going to miss walking past and looking at the church and not seeing that cross on top," said neighbor Shantray Taylor.
She and her boyfriend, Dominique Epps, were next door when the flames broke out. Neighbors said the couple called 911 and then started knocking on doors.
"We woke everybody up -- all the neighbors and stuff so they could get out of the household," Epps said.
Their quick thinking may be the reason there were no injuries, Amara reported. Cartwright said crews battled winds of 20 to 25 mph.
"The weather conditions certainly impacted the intensity of this fire. As you know, it's similar to a campfire. You light a small fire and you blow on it, it causes a fire to burn more intensely," he said.
The church served as a soup kitchen and food pantry, feeding up to 50 people every day, according to the pastor.
"I started off with a soup kitchen. I don't have the soup kitchen as regular as I used to, but I still have the pantry. The pantry is open any day of the week, any time someone calls. We feed the hungry," Young said.
The church, with a congregation of about 300 members, has served the community for 49 years.
A pastor at the Israel Baptist Church on Thursday afternoon offered his space for the group to congregate on Sunday. It's located two blocks away on Chester Street.
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