Several firefighters were preparing food and getting ready for Sunday's dedication ceremony for a new Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue substation when a call came in that a nearby church was on fire.
The substation isn't equipped for action yet, but the firefighters rushed to Blue Ridge Community Christian Church, beating the firetrucks that were coming from Blowing Rock. The firefighters met Pastor Glen Luttrell, who was manning a water hose. They assessed the scene, figuring how to attack the fire, and called for assistance from tankers in Boone and Foscoe.
When the firetrucks arrived, the fire was quickly knocked down. Firefighters carried a wall cross and the pastor's Bible from the sanctuary.
The fire charred the floor, burned up one side of a sanctuary wall and burned into the ceiling, causing an estimated $175,000 in damages to the pre-1940s wooden building, according to the Watauga County Fire Marshal's Office.
The fire started in an oil furnace under the floor, said Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Buchanan.
The church had insurance and will rebuild, Luttrell said.
Luttrell, who called 911 about 9:15 a.m. to report the fire, had expected about 20 church members for the morning worship service. Instead, the worshippers went about a mile down U.S. 221 to the new fire department substation.
At the dedication, firefighters asked Luttrell to say the blessing over the food.
"They were very appreciative," said Kent Graham, the deputy chief for Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue. "He did say in his blessing we were blessed nobody got hurt."
The new three-bay substation is scheduled to open in early November. Construction started in April and cost about $375,000. Firefighters did some of the work themselves. The substation will house a fire engine and a tanker truck, with space in the future for a first-responder medical vehicle.
Because there has not been a fire station within five miles, the area has been considered unprotected for insurance purposes. The new substation could cause insurance premiums to drop by about half for many of the area property owners, fire officials said.
The fire at Blue Ridge Community Christian Church partially melted the wall clock that Luttrell used to keep track of his sermons, freezing the hands at the time he called 911.
Churchgoers would have heard a text from the Old Testament.
"My sermon was supposed to be Haggai, about rebuilding the temple," Luttrell said. "I didn't expect this."
mmitchell@wsjournal.com
336-667-5691
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