McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

December 31, 2008

Fire races through church

By James Beaty

Members of the congregation of the King’s House church at 20 E. Cherokee Ave. gathered outside the building shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday as members of the McAlester fire department broke into the smoldering structure in an attempt to save it.

Hoisting axes and dragging hoses, firemen rushed inside while black smoke billowed from the building.

While the firefighters worked inside, more and more members of the congregation converged at the site.

Several had been at the church earlier, but said they were not there when the fire started.

“We had just taken down all the Christmas decorations this morning and left about 11:30,” said Associate Pastor Charles Kerley. “Everything was in good shape at that time.”

Pastor Felix Waller talked with church members as the smoke continued to pour out of the building.

While he didn’t know for sure how the fire started, he had a theory after talking to people from some nearby businesses.

“They said they had about 15 power surges in 30 minutes,” Waller said. “I have to think that had something to do with it.”

At the back of the building, firefighters used a power saw to slice an entrance through the wall where they shoveled ashes outside and threw smoldering insulation into the alley.

Ron and Sharon Vicars, of Vicars Furniture & Accessories, stood and watched as firefighters entered the back of the church building, just across the alley from the back of their store.

Sharon Vicars said there had been electircial power surges at Vicars around 1 p.m.

“It was continually surging,” said Ron Vicars.

Sharon said she called Public Service Co. of Oklahoma to report the power surges.

“They told us to shut down all the breakers,” she said. While Ron and Sharon Vicars closed the store, Dustin Vicars went on the roof to check an air conditioning unit.

“That’s when he saw the smoke coning from the back here,” she said, referring to the back of the King’s House building.

Sharon said he called 911 to report the fire at the church. The report of the fire came in at 1:19 p.m., according to the McAlester Fire Department.

Fire Chief Harold Stewart later said it has been determined that the fire started in a room that had once been used as a nursery in the back of the building. The fire damage had been contained to two rooms, he said, although other parts of the building had smoke and water damage.

“They had a small refrigerator, a TV and a lamp in the area of origin,” Stewart said Wednesday afternoon. He said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined,

Stewart said while there was some heavy damage inside, especially in the room where the fire started, firefighters did a good job in saving the building.

“There was no major structural damage,” he said. “It is repairable.

Asked about the power surges, Frank Phillips of PSO said calls had began coming in around 1 p.m. from two or three people in the area who said their lights were flickering. A smoking air conditioning system had also been reported, he said.

With PSO personnel still at the scene, Phillips said he had no further information available on Wednesday afternoon.

Approximately 300 people attend the non-denominational church on a regular basis, according to church members.

They were unsure at press time what they would do next.

“I don’t know what we’ll do yet,” said Jolene Waller, who is married to Pastor Waller.

“God’s faithful,” she said. “He will provide.”

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