Flames decimated a historic church in Wakefield Tuesday evening as firefighters struck seven alarms to call for additional help. Witnesses said a bolt of lightning sparked the fire at the 150-year-old First Baptist Church, located on Lafayette Street. "It struck and there was a brief bit of smoke," said Kayla Kittredge.Within a few minutes, the flames engulfed the building. Photos and videos from the scene showed heavy smoke and flames emanating from the traditional white church and steeple. As the orange flames climbed the steeple, the ribs of the structure became visible. "I just think of my fellow teachers, whose life's work has been in that building with the kids from this community and the communities all around," said Amy Burd, who teaches at the nursery school that operated from the church basement. "We're all devastated. "“It’s been important to us and our family for many years,” parishioner Chris Rankin said. “We come every Sunday.”“We're just devastated. It really hasn't sunk in to all of us yet,” church moderator Melinda Parry said. The congregation is coming together for support and trying to tally the loss.“We lost a lot of memories, a lot of beautiful musical instruments,” Parry said.One thing that was not lost to the fire is a painting of Jesus that hung in the church. The painting was salvaged from the rubble and appeared to be in good condition. "While we lost our historic building from a lightning strike this week, we praise Jesus that our church community was kept safe," the congregation wrote in a statement after the fire. "A very big thank you to the many firefighters who did their jobs with excellence, and to the outpouring of support from the community. "Witnesses said they could see the smoke and flames from a neighboring town. Flames decimated a historic church in Wakefield Tuesday evening as firefighters struck seven alarms to call for additional help. Witnesses said a bolt of lightning sparked the fire at the 150-year-old First Baptist Church, located on Lafayette Street. Advertisement Related Content Painting of Jesus survives devastating fire in historic Wakefield church "It struck and there was a brief bit of smoke," said Kayla Kittredge. Within a few minutes, the flames engulfed the building. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Light of day reveals the devastation caused by fire at a 150y/o church in #Wakefield. All that’s left is a shell. #wcvb pic.twitter.com/SqQTCsxywp — Sera Congi (@seracongi) October 24, 2018 Photos and videos from the scene showed heavy smoke and flames emanating from the traditional white church and steeple. As the orange flames climbed the steeple, the ribs of the structure became visible. "I just think of my fellow teachers, whose life's work has been in that building with the kids from this community and the communities all around," said Amy Burd, who teaches at the nursery school that operated from the church basement. "We're all devastated." Witness photo shows flames billowing from the burning church. “It’s been important to us and our family for many years,” parishioner Chris Rankin said. “We come every Sunday.” “We're just devastated. It really hasn't sunk in to all of us yet,” church moderator Melinda Parry said. The congregation is coming together for support and trying to tally the loss. “We lost a lot of memories, a lot of beautiful musical instruments,” Parry said. One thing that was not lost to the fire is a painting of Jesus that hung in the church. The painting was salvaged from the rubble and appeared to be in good condition. "While we lost our historic building from a lightning strike this week, we praise Jesus that our church community was kept safe," the congregation wrote in a statement after the fire. "A very big thank you to the many firefighters who did their jobs with excellence, and to the outpouring of support from the community." Witnesses said they could see the smoke and flames from a neighboring town.<doc-sep>WAKEFIELD, MA — The First Baptist Church was destroyed by a seven-alarm fire that tore through the landmark church much of Tuesday evening. The church reportedly caught fire after a lightning strike, and some of the battle firefighters waged against it was in the midst of a thunderstorm. The almost 150-year-old church's 180-foot spire is passed by thousands of out-of-town visitors who spend time near Lake Quannapowitt. It's been a downtown icon known for its grace and beauty. Many on social media Tuesday evening were heartbroken the loss of their church, while others lamented the loss of the preschool they sent their kids too. Even those who had no connection to the church were grieving its loss. A wild thunderstorm hit the Wakefield area early Tuesday evening, sending rumbling thunder and lightning flashes through the sky.<doc-sep>
WAKEFIELD (CBS) – Members of a historic Wakefield church are thanking firefighters and the community for their support after a lightning strike likely sparked a massive fire Tuesday night. A witness said lightning hit the 180-foot steeple of the First Baptist Church of Wakefield around 7 p.m. Flames quickly spread through the building and the steeple came tumbling down. There was a class going on in the church at the time, but everyone was able to safely escape. No injuries were reported. It took more than 100 firefighters to knock down the flames. Fire Chief Michael Sullivan said the building’s age presented challenges in fighting the fire. “Just requires a lot of resources. The age of the building, type of construction, and the fact that there’s multiple ceilings and walls,” he said. Donna Burns, music director for 35 years at the church, finds it hard to witness the devastation of a place she calls home. “A very special place in my heart musically, religiously, it’s just a loss, like a death in the family,” Burns said. Interim pastor Rev. Norman Bendroth says the healing will be the most difficult for the congregation since he says the church is the cradle of many stories and memories. “It’s not the building of course, it’s the container of all these sacred memories, this is where I was baptized, or I married my daughter,” Bendroth said. Bendroth says it’s too soon to talk about plans for the future of the site, but they’ll immediately discuss temporary places to worship to help them through the grieving process. The church issued a statement following the fire. While we lost our historic building from a lightning strike this week, we praise Jesus that our church community was kept safe. A very big thank you to the many firefighters who did their jobs with excellence, and to the outpouring of support from the community. We know that we serve a God who specializes in restoring brokenness and who can bring beauty even from ashes. So we move into the future with trust, hope, and gratitude. Anyone who would like to donate to the church can send checks to: First Baptist Church 8 Lafayette Street Wakefield, MA 01880