Englewood church collapses as Chicago fire crews battle large flames

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Fire Department crews responded to a large church fire on Thanksgiving on the city's South Side.

The fire gutted the building from the inside out, causing it to collapse.

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The fire broke out Thursday afternoon near West 59th Street and South Emerald Avenue in Englewood, CFD officials said.

CFD crews were responding to the three-story church building with "lots of additional equipment."

ABC7 crews witnessed as part of Renewal Life Church collapsed as it was engulfed in flames and smoke, which quickly spread.

No injuries were reported and the exact cause of the fire was not yet known.

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ABC7 spoke with the pastor of the church, Je'Rico Brown. He says the three-story building was empty when the fire started.

Brown said he was out feeding the homeless with other church members when he got a call from a neighbor, telling him they saw flames near the top floor.

"We actually just helped feed the homeless at Fairfield Baptist Church, and I was just winding down for the day," Brown said. "I actually got a phone call from a relative and they were asking me to come see about the church because they saw smoke."

By the time he got there, his church was gone. The inferno had already swallowed the three-story building, casting a thick smoke over the area.

Pastor Brown says he took over the church about a year ago, just cleaned up damage at the church caused by Wednesday's high winds.

Marie Smith is one of about 50 members of the church's congregation, watching as her place of worship was reduced to rubble.

"It's heartbreaking, bro. It's like a scary movie how the building just collapsed," Smith said. "Never seen anything like this in real life... We can't even go to church Sunday."

Brown says Sunday service is canceled as he tries to figure out where or if he should move it, and says he's thankful no one was hurt.

Its leader of only a year aims to bring his church back, one day, from the ashes.

"This is a moment where everything that they teach comes into perspective," Brown said. "This is a moment where we tell the whole world to trust God... but we know we serve a God that can rebuild, and he will restore us."

The fire was put out and crews were continuing to deal with hot spots, CFD officials said around 4 p.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.