Fire damages historic sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas

A four-alarm fire damaged the historic sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas downtown.

The fire was first reported around 6 p.m. Friday and was mostly extinguished by about 9:30, according to a statement from the church.

“We continue to praise God for His hand of protection on our church. We are grateful that no one was injured today and are thankful for the first responders who helped contain the fire to our Historic Sanctuary,” the church said in a statement posted to X.

The statement assured worshippers “we intend to meet for church this Sunday.”

The fire originated in the basement and spread to the second floor, fire officials said. A plume of smoke was visible from as far as east Dallas.

Dallas interim Fire Chief Justin Ball told reporters he doesn’t know what caused the fire yet.

“Until we clear it out and get an investigation, we won’t know,” he said.

Investigators won’t be able to go in until the church is deemed structurally safe, he said.

The primary church building had some smoke damage but appeared to be structurally sound, and the fire did not spread to surrounding buildings, Ball said.

First Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress told TV crews the historic sanctuary dates back to 1890 and that he himself was baptized there.

“I’m grateful the church is not bricks and mortar or wood, it’s people,” he said.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.