Jan. 08--A fire destroyed a LaGrange church's sanctuary Sunday morning, though authorities say no one was injured in the blaze.
Firefighters were called to Teaver Road Baptist Church, 215 Teaver Road, just after 7 a.m. When they arrived, the sanctuary of the church was ablaze, said Fire Chief Jerry Heard.
"We had a working fire," the chief added. "Flames were showing."
Firefighters forced their way inside through the church's front doors. Once inside, they saw the flames about 20 feet in front of them. The blaze already was venting through the roof, a portion of which had fallen to the church floor, Heard said.
Crews brought the fire under control and stayed on the scene into the afternoon, ensuring no hot spots remained.
"It's out now," Heard said about 2:15 p.m. Sunday. "We got it out. The sanctuary itself is a total loss."
An adjoining Sunday school building had some smoke damage, though the nearby family life center appeared spared, the chief said.
No other buildings were damaged by the flames. There were no injuries, Heard said.
The cause and origin of the fire isn't known. Heard said he hopes to answer those questions sometime Monday.
Copyright 2012 - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
