Lightning causes fire that destroys church
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 8, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Lightning is being blamed for a fire that destroyed Cricket Ridge Free Will Baptist Church northwest of Mount Olive on Thursday night.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Lightning is being blamed for a Thursday night fire that destroyed Cricket Ridge Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, 386 Cricket Ridge Road just northwest of town.
The thunderstorm that generated the lightning strike that apparently sparked the fire continued to rage as firefighters from six departments worked to contain the blaze.
A heavy rain fell and lightning flashed as firefighters battled the blaze.
The church is in the Dudley Fire District. The Mount Olive and Thoroughfare fire departments also responded initially.
Calypso, Grantham and Smith Chapel fire departments were called in as well.
Faison firefighters stood by at the Mount Olive Fire Station and responded to two calls, Mount Olive Fire Chief Greg Wiggins said.
Wiggins said it was his understanding that an eyewitness told fire officials they saw lightning strike the 30-some-year-old church.
Wiggins said what had made fighting the fire more difficult was that it got into the air conditioning ducts in the ceiling and ran the entire attic.
The roof was consumed.
Little was left of the back portion of the church near a modular home with one whole section of wall on the ground.
The modular home, just feet away from the back section of the church, appeared to have suffered only minor damage -- a small section of siding appeared to have been damaged.
Damage estimates were not available prior to press time this morning.