CLINTON, Ill. (WAND) – Members of a Clinton church destroyed by a fire Tuesday morning are vowing to rebuild the structure, which was built in the late 1960’s.
"It is one of the worst days of my life,” Bernie Walden, who helped build the church, said.
The Assembly of God church went up in flames around 8:30 a.m. It took firefighters more than three hours to put out the massive fire. Clinton’s Public Health & Safety Commissioner said when a church catches fire, getting it under control is hard.
“All of the construction of churches, compared to new construction, is so much faster than they used to be,” Dan Ballinger said. “They burn so much faster. By the time you get setup and inside, they have a good head start on you."
The church was built by its members as a labor of love.
"A lot of people did a lot of work,” Walden said. “A lot of work."
The sight of his church burning to the ground was hard for Walden to watch.
"One of the saddest days of my life,” he said.
The church is nothing more than a pile of rubble now. In a corner where the building once stood is a growing memorial.
“I am in shock and awe,” Pastor Nick Blacklidge said. “I am thankful the Lord has protected us. Nobody was in the building. It is just a building and we will rebuild, and we have insurance."
It is unclear what started the fire. The Clinton fire chief said it was not arson and crews are watching for any hot spots.
The fire was deemed a four alarm fire. This resulted in several fire departments responding to the scene, including Bloomington, Decatur, Warrensburg, Wapella and Clinton. The Illinois State Fire Marshall's Office was also called out to help with the investigation.
The building is a total loss.
