Sanctuary survives fire at church near Lake Wylie days before Christmas

We’re working to learn more after a witness reported seeing a church on fire Monday afternoon near Lake Wylie.

The witness told Channel 9 they spotted lots of smoke billowing from the church on Ridge Road. Fire trucks were called to the scene, and crews were able to extinguish the fire.

Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe went to the scene and learned the fire was mostly contained to an attic area. Officials said damage was largely in office areas.

The church’s sanctuary wasn’t damaged, and Senior Pastor Dr. Chandler Sanders told Lowe that they’ll be open for services on Christmas Eve.

“We do have another portion of the building that has not been damaged that we can still use for worship, so God is keeping us,” Sanders said.

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An official cause of the fire hasn’t been released yet, but officials told Lowe they believe it was electrical. Sanders said there was an issue with the furnace and people were working on fixing it through the electrical box, which then exploded.

More than 40 firefighters from six different departments responded.

“Our church is fortunate enough to be surrounded by several fire departments, which is a major blessing that they were able to respond so quickly,” Sanders told Lowe.

This is a developing story. Check wsoctv.com for updates.

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