According to authorities, the fire destroyed a large New Jersey church and caused the roof to collapse as more than 150 firefighters struggled to control the flames.
Images from a video circulating on social media showed the Florence Township Fountain of Life Center engulfed in flames Monday night.
The fire started around 6:00 p.m. Monday and fortunately no injuries were reported, rescuers said.
“It’s a devastating loss,” Pastor Russell Hodgins told Philadelphia’s KYW-TV. His grandparents had helped build the building, he noted.
“The church is not brick and mortar, the church is really the body of believers,” Hodgins told the television. “God will help us through this, and I believe the church will be stronger than ever.”
The center was described on its website as a 120,000-square-foot (11,148-square-meter) multipurpose space with a day care center, basketball courts, and a gym. The school and recreation building survived the fire, according to media reports.