Century Church Building Destroyed By Fire; Arson Suspected

October 9, 2016

A fire that destroyed a Century church building early Sunday morning is under investigation as a possible case of arson.

Neighbors reported hearing an explosion before looking outside to see theĀ  Wesley Chapel Church on Jefferson Avenue fully involved in flames. The building was a complete and total loss. There were no injuries reported.

The church building had sat empty since a February 15 EF-3 tornado ripped through Century, causing significant damage to the building. The congregation had continued to meet each Sunday in the local County on Aging building. A church member said they had recently decided to dismantle the old building board by board, hoping to salvage and use as much of the wood as possible from the 1934 structure.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office. The building reportedly had no utility service.

The blaze also damaged a neighboring house, melting away the vinyl siding.

The Century, Walnut Hill and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department, the Jay Fire Department, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia EMS responded to the blaze.

For more photos, click here.

Pictured above: Fire destroyed the Wesley Chapel Church building in Century Sunday morning. Pictured below: The cause of the fire is under investigation. Pictured bottom: A photo showing the church before the fire and before February tornado damage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Century Church Building Destroyed By Fire; Arson Suspected”

  1. anne on October 10th, 2016 9:11 am

    Many new churches are metal bldgs now days but the Lord doesn’t care what the building looks, just about the Souls that gather in his name. The church members know this. .