Fire damages historic Dallas church in East Oak Cliff

DALLAS - Dallas Fire-Rescue had to call six alarms to put out a large fire at a historic East Oak Cliff church.

Crews were called to the Saintsville Church of God in Christ on S. Marsalis Avenue just before 2 p.m. during the hottest time of the day Tuesday.

Nobody was injured, but a church that's been a bedrock of the community was gutted.

The historic Saintsville Sanctuary Church of God in Christ is now covered in soot and charred remains. Members of the congregation have been stopping by all evening to see the damage for themselves. 

Since the 1970s, Saintsville Sanctuary Church of God in Christ has been a pillar of the Oak Cliff community, but its history stretches back to the early 1900s. Now, its fellowship and classrooms are destroyed.

"My heart is absolutely crushed," said Lynda Hemphill, the church’s secretary.

Dallas Fire-Rescue says the fire at the historic church on Marsalis and Illinois avenues started around 2 p. m. SKY 4 shows the heavy smoke and intense flames coming out of the roof, which has now collapsed. 

Hemphill told FOX 4 she smelled smoke as she was leaving. She and a security guard were the only ones there at the time.

"When I opened the door and picked up my things. I saw the smoke started to come through the area where I worked," she said.

Dallas Fire-Rescue had to call six alarms due to the combination of intense flames and scorching heat. Extra units came in to rotate firefighters as the temperature rose above 105 degrees outside.

In temperatures over 100, it’s standard procedure for extra units to come so firefighters can rotate more often. 

The fire department had ambulances on standby, gurneys at the ready and a rehab tent set up for firefighters to cool off. 

"It hurts," said churchgoer Leola Brown. "But I know the Lord allowed it to happen for a reason. What the reason is, I don’t know." 

After attending the church for almost five decades, Brown is considered the ‘mother of the church.’ 

"We will rebuild," she said.

Brown’s daughter came with her to see the damage. 

"This is very disheartening, very disheartening. This is just a lot of memories. A lot of memories here," said Wendy Brown-Coleman.

Both are relieved no one was injured. 

"I’m just thankful. I’m very thankful because it could have been so much worse," Brown-Coleman said. "So we thank God for his grace." 

The Browns said some remodeling was recently done inside the church. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.