FALMOUTH, Ky — The Chapel of Praise Assembly of God sustained heavy damage Tuesday morning as crews worked to contain a fire that roared overnight.
Pastor Kevin Clos says he was at the church until 8 last night, turned furnaces off because it was so warm. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/5eMsPtrBp2
— Ally Kraemer (@AllyKraemer) December 27, 2016
When Chief David Marquardt and fire crews arrived around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, the church at 1562 KY-159 appeared fully engulfed. About 20 firefighters worked from the exterior to pull apart the tin roof and extinguish hot spots.
Pastor Kevin Clos said his cousin lives across the road from the 25-member church and thought he heard something banging on his window. When his cousin looked outside, he saw the fire at the front of the church.
The flames spread through the sanctuary and the church offices, but much of the large fellowship hall seems to be OK. Clos said he was at the church Monday night and turned off the furnaces because of the record-breaking heat that reached 71 degrees in Cincinnati.
With no water source immediately nearby, five tanker trucks had to shuttle water back and forth from about a mile away to contain the blaze.
No injuries were reported, and the Red Cross has been on scene to assist the firefighters. The state fire marshal’s office has been informed, but there’s no word on how the fire started.
This is a developing story.
