On Saturday, April, 26, 2022 at 8:55 pm the Jacksonville Fire Department was dispatched to a possible fire at the Faith Temple Christian Center located at 831 Alexandria Rd SW in Jacksonville. We originally released information regarding the fire in an earlier article [read here]. We were able to speak with the Jacksonville Fire Department Fire Marshal, Captain Chris Collins to discuss all the events that took place that evening and what is happening now.
When firefighters arrived on the scene at 8:59 they could observe heavy smoke and visible flames coming from the south side of the building. For the first hour after arrival, firefighters fought the fire through aggressive action from the interior attempting to gain control. Building fires can raise the interior temperature by hundreds of degrees creating possible flashovers, fatigued firefighters, and structural damage. The firefighters inside the building reported to the incident commander that there were signs of collapse beginning so for safety they were ordered out of the building to engage in a defensive fight from the exterior. Captain Chris Collins said “After a fire reaches the sustained growth stage it can grow two times the size in just 4-5 minutes”.
The Faith Temple Christian Center was primarily a metal exterior structure, but contained interior wood framing for individual rooms, hallways, and facilities. Firefighters had a difficult time controlling the fire due to the large amount of combustible materials in the building such as wood, desks, paper supplies, and other items that would normally be found inside this type of environment. “As the fire heats up a room all of the materials begin to also burn at a fast rate”, advised Captain Collins.
During the incident Jacksonville Fire Department requested assistance from other neighboring fire departments to assist with the battle. Captain Collins advised there were approximately 50 firefighters working together to contain and extinguish the massive fire. Nearly 75% of the Jacksonville Fire department firefighters responded to support the suppression activities. Even though many were off duty, they began to hear about the fire and they rushed to the scene with the majority showing up before any call outs were requested.
The firefighters battled the blaze for over 6 hours and were able to have it extinguished at approximately 3:05 am. Firefighters remained on scene until late in the morning on Sunday to help “knock down” hot spots and watch for potential flare ups. The building is a complete loss and is not stable. The fire department has placed warnings up around the entire building that no one should be in or near the structure due to possible collapse or other hidden dangers.
Although the fire was close to the Jacksonville Christian Academy there was no damage to it. Captain Collins advised, “Power was restored to the building yesterday and they were planning on reopening JCA today (4/26/22).” He went on to say that the fire did affect the daycare and elementary school because they were located inside the Christian Center, but they have already worked out a plan for relocation.
Chief Keith Kadle wanted to thank the following fire departments for sending additional firefighters and apparatus; Anniston Fire, Alexandria Fire, Weaver Fire, Piedmont Fire, Angel Fire, Webster Chapel Fire, and Knightens Crossroads Fire. He also wanted to thank the Piedmont EMS for providing on scene support as well as responding to all emergency medical calls in the city while the fire department was fighting the fire.
Captain Collins also advised that due to the fact that this fire involved a house of worship, the State Fire Marshal’s Office will be the lead investigator on the possible cause. Captain Chris Collins and Fire Marshal, Captain Jason Brown with the Anniston Fire Department will also be assisting with the investigation. The investigation is ongoing and is expected to take some time due to the extensive damage and structural instability.
Captain Collins also said, “The fire department is hurting right now because of how much this church meant to so many residents throughout the county. Faith Temple Christian Center has been a part of the community since the 80’s and we each feel for the significant loss of property and place of worship they have sustained.”
