A 2:00 P.M. fire yesterday resulted in destruction of the sanctuary and three story educational building at First Baptist Church on U. S. Highway 45.
The fire was discovered by a passerby who reported the fire to a clerk at an auto parts store nearby. At that time smoke was coming from the attic of the building. The clerk reported the fire to 911, then notified people at the church.
Approximately twenty children attending a day care program in the church were safely removed from the building. No injuries were reported among people in the church at the time of the fire or responding firefighters from Citronelle.
Investigators with the Citronelle Fire Department and the Alabama State Fire Marshals Office traced the origin of the fire to the electrical service to an air handling unit in the attic. The State Fire Marshals Office is working with church officials to locate a facility where the day care program can be operated until an approved facility can be re-built at the church.