Churchgoers rush out of sanctuary as Georgia church bursts into flames, videos show
A church in southern Georgia was completely destroyed overnight after a fire broke out during Wednesday night service.
Douglas Christian Fellowship in Douglas, Georgia, was using Facebook Live to broadcast its service on Feb. 2 when the fire started. About 15 minutes in, singers leading the congregation in worship abruptly stopped and fled the sanctuary with other churchgoers.
Videos shared on Facebook show the church completely engulfed in flames about 45 minutes later.
The Coffee County Fire Department told WSBTV no one was hurt but did not disclose a cause of the fire. The Georgia Fire Marshal’s Investigations Unit did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Thursday, Feb. 3.
Representatives from Douglas Christian Fellowship also did not immediately respond.
The city of Douglas is about 122 miles south of Macon and roughly 60 miles from the Florida border. U.S. Census data shows its home to about 11,700 residents.
Douglas Christian Fellowship, a white single-story building with a towering steeple adorned by a cross, sits on the outskirts of town across the street from the Forestry Commission. Much of the property is surrounded by trees and farmland.
The church started its livestream at 7 p.m. ET, Facebook video shows. About 15 minutes later, two women had just reached the end of the second chorus of “I Speak Jesus” when one lifted her arm to signal they should stop, saying “hold on, hold on” as she pointed to the back of the room.
One of the last lyrics they sang from the song was “burn like a fire.”
Several people at the front of the church were seen on the livestream immediately getting up and leaving. The women who were singing switched off their microphones as more people appeared to flood toward the exits and the livestream cuts off.
Video taken from outside the building and posted on Facebook showed the fire was raging by 7:51 p.m. (Warning: Video in the link may contain language some readers find offensive.)
In a second clip posted roughly 20 minutes later from the church parking lot, smoke and flames completely enveloped the building. Several people can be heard crying in the background.
Local churches posted prayer requests in the hours that followed.
Photos shared the morning after the fire showed much of the church reduced to rubble with what walls remained charred black.
In a statement just before 8 a.m. Feb. 3, the Douglas Police Department confirmed the entire church was destroyed.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Douglas Christian Fellowship COG after fire destroyed their building last night,” police said. “Pastor Wingard and his congregation have always supported law enforcement and the entire Douglas & Coffee County community, so let’s all show support for them.”
The Coffee County Fire Department also asked for prayers and thanked the volunteer firefighters who helped put out the blaze.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long the fire burned.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Churchgoers rush out of sanctuary as Georgia church bursts into flames, videos show."
