The injury to the firefighter was slight. He twisted his knee and was treated at the scene. He is expected to be fine.
But for a while, the afternoon smoke and flames at the church were very intense. According to the Houston Fire Department, the fire broke out at about 1:45pm in an older building that the congregation has not been using recently. In fact, there are no current utilities in that building, leading fire investigations to seek the cause of the fire.
Firefighters initially tried to attack the fire, but had to retreat and go into a defensive mode, battling the flames from outside the structure. Firefighters say the structure collapsed shortly after pulling all the firefighters out.
"It just brings sadness to my life," church member Anna Ojeda said. "We receive the holy spirit here and it was my first time I received it when I was 12, and when I saw it burned, I started crying a lot," she said.
The pastor and his children also were at the scene.
"I'm feeling bad, we had a lot of memories," Pastor Milton Lazo said.
But they realize how easily the fire could have taken both church homes.
"Everything happens for a reason so we're just -- thanks to God, we give thanks to God," said the pastor's daughter, Katherine Lazo said.
The congregation still used the former building for storage and some church activities, but the church's new building was not damaged. Services will continue as regularly scheduled.
Meanwhile, arson investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
If you caught photos or video of this fire, you can upload them at iWitness.abc13.com or email them to news@abc13.com.
