Church members grieve massive fire at historic First Baptist Dallas sanctuary

DALLAS – Heartbreak and grief continue for a Dallas church congregation after a massive fire destroyed their historic sanctuary late Friday.

The sight of devastation and the smell of smoke remained outside First Baptist Dallas one day after a four-alarm fire tore through the original sanctuary. Dallas Fire-Rescue continued monitoring hot spots on Saturday. No injuries were reported. 

The sound of fire engines and the sight of stunned onlookers filled the heart of downtown Dallas Saturday morning. Executive pastor Dr. Ben Lovvorn said the building appears to be a total loss.

“It’s hard to see,” Lovvorn said.

Church members were coming to terms with the surreal images of the charred shell that holds so many memories.

“My family’s been in this church for five generations, over a hundred years. I was raised in the sanctuary, trusted in Christ in that room, got engaged, got married there, so it’s a special place,” Lovvorn said with tears in his eyes.

The historic sanctuary, which opened in 1890 and was used until a new facility opened in 2013, is a significant downtown landmark. It has hosted visits from Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Donald Trump.   

Sari McCoy has been coming to the church since she was a baby. 

“Just heartbreak, it’s really heartbreak for the loss for the place of the memories, the beautiful moments we had, and the reverence we had in there,” McCoy said.  

The sanctuary was built in 1890, and the church used it to worship until it moved into the new building in 2013.

“Really, what a loss, but at the same time, I have mixed emotions that no one was hurt and that the church is still intact because the church is the people,” McCoy said.

Dallas Fire Rescue believes the fire started in the basement of the sanctuary around 6 p.m. Friday. it took several hours for crews to bring it under control. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is assisting with the investigation into how the fire started. 

“It is not standard, but not unheard of,” said Robert Borse, with Dallas Fire-Rescue, of calling on ATF. “We requested because initial callers said they heard a ‘boom.’ That has since been proven inaccurate.”  

“We move forward, and God has his hand in everything,” McCoy said.

The scorched walls overflow with more than a century of memories. The congregation hopes it can rebuild the sanctuary. 

First Baptist Dallas will hold one service at 11 a.m. Sunday, taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center’s main arena. Free parking is available. No childcare will be provided. The service will be streamed live at icampus.firstcampus.org.

“We’d encourage everybody to join us and to come worship with us,” Lovvorn said.

Church leaders must provide a structural engineering report Sunday to determine whether the building needs to be demolished.