AMELIA COUNTY, Va. -- An investigation is underway to determine what sparked a fire that destroyed Promise Land Baptist Church in Amelia County, Virginia.
The Amelia County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call at about 1:54 a.m. Tuesday after a neighbor saw the roof of the church was on fire.
Firefighters arrived at the church at about 2:08 a.m. and stayed about six hours working to put out the flames and secure the area.
No injuries were reported.
Promise Land Baptist Church is located along the 11000 block of Winterham Road.
An investigation into what caused the fire is underway, but several sources told CBS 6 the fire may have been caused by an electrical issue in the church's attic.
A surveyor who came on the scene around noon said the building was a complete loss.
"I heard this big 'boom!' I said, 'What's going on?' I thought I was dreaming. It wasn't dreamed up. That was the real thing," Mason Archer Jr., who said he's been a member of the church for about 70 years, said. "I couldn't believe it."
Archer Jr. was a former trustee of the church.
Most of his family members are buried on church property.
He lives just a few miles from the church.
“It’s a human life to me. Just like another person. I did so much in it. In that church," Archer Jr. said.
Archer Jr. said most of the families that attend the church have been going there for generations.
“It’s like you just lost a baby. You just lost a loved one," Beverly Butler, another member of the church, said. "But I know the Lord is going to rebuild. This is going to be rebuilt. And everything happens for a reason. And it’s to bring people together.”
Butler and Archer Jr. said several other churches in the area have offered their support and space for the community to continue to gather and worship as they plan to rebuild.
“The scripture says that God is going to make beauty out of ashes. And this church is not called Promise Land for nothing," she said.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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