WARRENTON, Mo. — Fire officials say a church in Warrenton was completely destroyed by a Monday morning fire.
A spokesperson from Warrenton Fire Protection District told 5 On Your Side at the scene, that the fire department had received a 911 call for a report of smoke coming from Abundant Life Church, located at 21209 NW Service Road, shortly before 5 a.m.
When firefighters arrived at the church, they saw a red glow coming from the building. After entering the church through a back door and going up a stairwell, firefighters used an infrared scanner to determine there was no one inside the church at the time of the fire.
A news release from the Warrenton Fire Protection District said firefighters were forced out of the church multiple times due to the amount of heat and fire.
The release said within minutes of crews arriving on the scene, the church was fully engulfed in flames. The roof also collapsed while firefighters were on the scene.
The fire was put out using water pumper fire trucks because there were no fire hydrants near the church, the spokesperson said.
"The building is lost, but the work of building God's kingdom is going to move forward and we're going to be part of that," said Abundant Life parishioner Joe Solomon. "If we have to we'll put a tent up here, but we're going to do what we have to do to continue promoting the gospel."
No one was injured in the fire.
“I think it’s a matter of luck," said Warren Co. Emergency Manager Jim Sharpe.
"I think it speaks directly to the amount of skill and professionalism they have to realize when their lives are in danger and make the right call.”
Fourteen different agencies responded to the fire scene at the church. Those agencies are:
- Warrenton Fire Protection District
- Wright City Fire Protection District
- Marthasville Fire Protection District
- Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1
- New Melle Fire Protection District
- Wentzville Fire Protection District
- Jonesburg-High Hill Fire Protection Dist.
- Warren County Sheriff's Department
- Warren County Ambulance District & Training Center
- Warren County Joint Communications
- Washington Fire Department
- Boles Fire Protection District
- Pacific Fire Protection District
- St. Clair Fire Protection District
The spokesperson from Warrenton Fire Protection said the building was a total loss. Fire officials did not have any information on what may have caused the fire.
Fire officials asked people to avoid the area as the fire is investigated.
Solomon told 5 On Your Side that the incident comes less than 24 hours after an incident at Sunday service.
“We had an intruder that came into the service, and he was very disruptive. We didn’t know what his intentions were," Solomon said. "When he walked out of the church I followed him out and locked the doors. This intruder came to the pastor's house two days ago at 5 a.m. unannounced. It was the same man that came to the church Sunday morning."
In an update Tuesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Fire Marshals Office are investigating the fire.
"ATF and the Missouri State Fire Marshals Office are investigating the fire. ATF has a congressional mandate to investigate fires of houses of worship. In the course of the investigation, our Agents took one person in to custody on an outstanding state burglary warrant. Agents turned the individual over to local authorities, with whom he remains in custody. This individual’s involvement , if any, in the fire has yet to be determined. No one has been charged with setting the fire at this point, but ATF Fire Investigators have not ruled out arson as the cause."