A fire Wednesday afternoon destroyed True Light Temple of Praise church in Ford Heights.
“This is my life, right here,” Pastor James Morgan said in a video posted Wednesday on Facebook, with the burning building behind him. “My sister had to pick me up off the ground. I couldn’t believe it. Pray for us.”
Morgan said the building at 1602 Drexel Ave. was constructed in 1970, and expanded in 1990. He said they recently completed a renovation project that cost $50,000.
“We kept the doors open, man. We kept the doors open for everybody, helped everybody,” Morgan said. “I’m distraught about this.”
Morgan, who is also a Ford Heights village trustee, did not return messages Thursday.
The Ford Heights Fire Department said in a statement there was heavy smoke coming from the roof when firefighters arrived, and photos and videos posted to social media show the structure reduced to smoldering ruins.
Two maintenance workers were treated for smoke inhalation and released, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office, which polices Ford Heights. No one else was in the building at the time of the fire.
The Fire Department said it fought the blaze from outside the building. A defensive stance is usually taken when fighting the fire from inside the building is considered unacceptably dangerous, such as if there’s a risk of collapse.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the department said. The sheriff’s office said that as of Thursday morning the cause of the fire did not appear suspicious.
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