Members of First Baptist Church Highland Park in Little Rock were in good spirits Sunday afternoon as they gathered in a parking lot across the street from where their church had been destroyed by fire just hours earlier.
The building, completed in 1979, was gutted, its metal roof collapsed and what remained of its brick facade was left crumbling and charred. Debris was strewn across the block.
“It’s devastating, and it’s disappointing … but just thank goodness that no one was in there,” said Danyelle Walker, 42, who has attended Highland Park since she married the pastor’s nephew 17 years ago.
Little Rock firefighters were dispatched to the scene about 3:30 a.m.
Michael Jones, a church member who lives across the street from the building, saw the fire at about 5 a.m., after Walker called him and he looked out his window.
“’Oh my God … Oh my God …,” said Jones, describing his thoughts when he saw the blaze. “Because it’s like a piece of you …
“We looked outside and the whole roof was engulfed with flames,” he said. “Flames coming out of both ends.”
Jones, 47, who said that he has attended the 350-member church for more than 40 years, lives just across Pine Street from the structure with his wife and children. He looked outside after receiving a call from a fellow church member about 5 a.m. and watched as firefighters fought to control the inferno.
Little Rock Fire Capt. Jason Weaver said crews fought the fire until 9 a.m. After crews left about 3 p.m., more than a dozen members of the congregation remained standing behind police tape in a lot just across West 18th Street, discussing the future of their beloved Highland Park.
“We plan on rebuilding,” Jones said. “It was already in the cards to rebuild; we were just waiting, and now here it is.”
Jones said that the church had been preparing for years to construct a new facility in an adjacent lot, but work was moving slow due to drainage system issues. But he said that this incident will likely spur them to complete the project.
“For a lot of us, it’s sentimental value … but it’s just a building,” Jones said about the burnt-out structure.
Walker said that she notified Jones of the fire after receiving a call from a resident near the church. She said she quickly threw on her clothes and drove to the fiery scene about 5:30 a.m.
“It was just amazing,” Walker said as she stood in a nearby parking lot, dressed for service. “It was devastating.”
But Walker said that she, too, has faith that the congregation will become “bigger and better,” after the wreckage is cleaned up.
“As I was walking across the street earlier - it was amongst the water and soot - I saw a burnt hymnal page, and the title was ‘God is so Good.’ I just thought it was a sign from God that everything is going to be all right,” she said.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 04/29/2013