BEAUMONT, Texas — Decades of history were destroyed after flames engulfed the Central City Baptist Church in Beaumont overnight.
On Tuesday, firefighters sifted through the rubble to make sure the area was safe. Investigators do not know what caused fire.
The church has been a part of the community since 1961. It was abandoned but Domingo Torres, the church's former pastor, said it was being repaired in hopes of reopening soon.
“It's tragic, you hate to see it,” Torres said. "You know, the good thing is it was fixing to start up again.”
Torres feels the timing of the fire is unfortunate.
"It's just heartbreaking,” Torres said. “You know, cause I knew that we were going to start the church again, and bring people again, and start ministering again and now this happened."
Jim Turnbo is the executive director of the Golden Triangle Baptist Network. Turbo wants the church to be a pillar in the community and a place that offers worship in Spanish.
Jose Gutierrez has been hired to be the church’s new pastor.
“We partnered with Gutierrez to come and restart the church,” Turbo said. “We have been working on repairs and cleaning up the property in anticipation of reopening the church.”
The good news is the building is insured. The bad news is there is no timeline for when the church could reopen.
“We want to be involved as quickly as possible,” Turnbo said. “We can't put a date on it again because it's so soon. How we can begin to clear that lot? We certainly want to render that lot safe for the community. The best thing we can do for our neighbors is to clear that lot to be a safe place.”
Turnbo is getting help from his fellow Christians. Military Veteran Paul Jackson heard about the church fire.
Jackson knew it was his duty to help clear away some of the rubble.
"As I drove up, I saw the men, the firemen, were getting their gear, to get together and thanked them for the work they had done," Jackson said. "Then after they left, I had taken a look around and saw that there was debris on the ground. You know what I'm going to do, pick it up. So that's what I did. It's my duty and responsibility. So, I am glad that I was able to do it. "
Still in the ash and rubble remains the spirit of an organization determined to revitalize the neighborhood and reopen the church for the faithful.
Crews battling large fire at Central City Baptist Church in Beaumont
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