A fire severely damaged the roof of a historic church in Augusta overnight after flames leaped from another burning building nearby, according to reports by news station WRDW CBS 12.
The blaze erupted about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday at Hosannah Missionary Baptist Church on Ellis Street, WRDW reported.
The overall damage appears extensive, but the building remains intact.
Augusta news station WJBF Channel 6 obtained exclusive photos from the scene showing a fire engine spraying water onto the roof, which was almost fully engulfed in flames.
WRDW later spoke to deacons of the church who reported water damage, and damage to the roof and windows.
Credit: News 12 NBC 26 via Twitter
Credit: News 12 NBC 26 via Twitter
There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation, officials said. They offered no description of the adjacent building that ignited the church.
Eight months ago, there was another fire at the church that left little to no damage, WRDW reported.
And last June, a fire caused by an electrical problem severely damaged Windsor Heights Baptist Church on Bullock Avenue, according to the Augusta Fire Department.
Earlier this month, fire officials announced they were looking into a string of unexplained fires at abandoned homes around Augusta and asked for the public’s help in case an arsonist may be responsible, according to news reports.
Augusta Fire Chief Christopher James said he doesn’t know of an exact cause for the fires, but he was alarmed by the frequency and proximity to Old Savannah Road and Sherman Street, where five structures have burned to the ground during the last 80 days, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
WJBF reported that Hosannah was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1990.
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