March 22, 2000
Fire damages Floydada church
___FLOYDADA--A Sunday afternoon fire has displaced the congregation at First Baptist Church in Floydada.
___Pastor Anthony Sisemore said the fire department was called at 4:41 p.m. March 12. An alert children's worker first detected the fire.
___"A children's volunteer showed up to prepare for her Christian growth class. She came and found me--I was alone here--and said she smelled smoke, and we located the fire," the pastor said.
___The fire, which started in the custodian's closet, was not extremely large at that point but spread quickly through the timbers of the building erected in 1928.
___While the point of origin of the fire is certain, the cause of the blaze is not. Insurance investigators, the state fire marshal's office and the department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were still trying to determine a cause at press time.
___The fire completely destroyed one education building, did extensive damage to another three-story education building and caused smoke and water damage to the church's sanctuary. Damage is estimated to be in excess of $1 million, Sisemore said.
___The church is now meeting in the auditorium of Floydada High School.
___Sisemore asked Texas Baptists to remember the church in prayer.
___"We were insured, of course, but that won't replace everything. We lost years and years of church history records. And as we sat and talked the other day, we realized we lost at least 14 pianos. It will be a long time, though, before we realize everything that was lost."
___Looking ahead, the church may need some help, Sisemore said. "I know that in the days ahead, when we get to the demolition, we're probably going to need some help."
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