Fire damages local church
NICHOLSON TWP. – Many of the parishioners who helped build the Oak Hill Baptist Church with their own hands about nine years ago stopped in Thursday ready to break a sweat repairing the damage from a Wednesday night fire that they believe was caused by a lightning strike. “Some of them practically lived here,” church secretary Betty Carol Maldovan said about the church’s construction. “It was amazing, a lot of good fellowship. I helped raise a wall. Our church family is very close.”
“Quite a few people came in here today offering to help clean up,” church President Ronald Dennis said. “A lot of work went into here. As long as no one got hurt, we can fix the building.”
A volunteer firefighter from Smithfield spotted smoke coming from the roof around 11 p.m. while driving home from another call and went to the parsonage to alert the church’s pastor, the Rev. Philip Elliott.
Elliott called Fayette 911, and volunteer fire departments from Smithfield, Fairchance, Masontown, Point Marion and Collier responded and managed to contain the fire to the roof above the sanctuary.
“Praise God for the fireman who saw it,” Maldovan said.
Elliott said it seemed the storm had moved out of the area when he heard a loud lightning strike close by.
“The storm had pretty much moved on,” Elliott said.
He said the fireman told him that he smelled the smoke as he was driving up New Geneva Road and them saw smoke coming from a rear corner of the roof.
The fire burned a hole though the roof above the sanctuary and damaged many of the trusses and beams that support the roof. Debris fell into the middle of the sanctuary.
The wing of the church that houses the Sunday school program and the social hall was not damaged.
Firefighters also moved the pulpit, altar table and chairs out of harm’s way and covered the organ and other electronic equipment.
“It’s definitely a mess, but we feel fortunate. If he hadn’t seen it, it would have burned to the ground,” Elliott said.
Until repairs can be made, Sunday services will be held elsewhere.
Elliott said Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Smithfield offered the use of its old sanctuary. The other option is holding services in Oak Hill’s outdoor pavilion.
Dennis said this Sunday’s service probably will be held in the pavilion, but he wasn’t sure about future services.
Elliott said the fire came at a busy time for the church, but all planned activities will proceed.
He said a wedding is planned for July 31, Bible school starts in August, a car show, a craft sale and flea market are set for August, and the church is planning its annual Augustfest.
Many parishioners have been calling Elliott after hearing about the fire.
“The phone lines are burning up,” he said, noting that one family called from their vacation at a beach to find out what happened to the church.
“We’re glad it didn’t burn down. We can fix it. Nobody got hurt – that’s most important,” Elliott said.
The original church building was destroyed in a fire in the 1920s. It was rebuilt but was destroyed again in a 1971 fire.