Photo: GulfCoast
Crews battled a massive fire at Buckingham Presbyterian church on Buckingham Road in Buckingham on Friday night.
According to the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District, the fire went through the roof of the church, and crews are still at the scene working to extinguish the fire.
The fire district said the cause of the fire will likely be handled by the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigations because it is at a church.
A large law enforcement presence was in the area and Buckingham Road was shut down for hours before re-opening on Saturday morning.
W, a Buckingham resident, reflected on the loss, saying, “I mean, it was beautiful inside. It was an older church, but it was beautiful. It was a smaller church, but driving by today, there’s I think the roof has collapsed. And I mean, it looks like a total loss. And it’s heartbreaking on its own.”
The church appears to be completely destroyed, with every window shattered and the roof collapsed. “It’s just really sad that it’s gone now,” said L, another Buckingham resident.
L described the scene Friday night, saying, “When we got home, we just saw the fire trucks, police officers, a bunch of smoke. It’s really scary and stuff. And then we got a little closer, and then we figured out it was the church and stuff. They told us we couldn’t get into our neighborhood because they were using the fire hydrants and stuff.”
On Saturday morning, the fire reignited, with flames and smoke seen coming from the center of the church. Crews returned to extinguish the fire and address remaining hot spots.
W expressed her sadness over the loss of the church, saying she will miss the sound of its bells. “I’m not sure how far out you can hear them, but I live a mile and a half back from the church, and you can hear them clear as day and it’s just eerie. I mean, we’re going on 1230, and just knowing you haven’t heard them at all today is eerie,” she said.
Gulf Coast News has reached out to the Tice Fire District and others for more information.
Count on Gulf Coast News to keep you updated.
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Source: GulfCoastNewsNow
