A massive fire destroyed a historic church in the downtown Sedalia on Wednesday.
The fire was at the First United Methodist Church on west Fourth Street and Osage Avenue.
According to a news release from the Sedalia Fire Department, firefighters responded to a structure fire at around 10 p.m.
Scariest part of my day! The First United Methodist church is falling apart after an overnight fire. The historic church sits in the heart of Sedelia.
Posted by Ali Hoxie on Thursday, March 3, 2016
A police officer, Sgt. Ryan Reed, spotted smoke coming from the basement window of the church. Upon investigation flames were visible through the windows.
"You could feel the fire easily from across the street," Reed said.
The fire department said fire units were on the scene within three minutes.
The news release said first units found flames coming out of the upstairs windows and within minutes portions of the roof had collapsed.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire.
Members who called the First United Methodist Church their place of worship are coming to see the damage. pic.twitter.com/QSsqkJpnqK
— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) March 3, 2016
Embers caught in the high winds threatened surrounding businesses.
The Sedalia Fire Department requested mutual aid from Pettis County Fire Protection District.
"We checked all the roofs between here and city hall which was in the direction that it [the fire] was heading," Battalion Chief Paul Withers with the Sedalia Fire Department said.
The department said the fire was under control and firefighters were monitoring hotspots just before 3 a.m.
Several members of the church watched after part of it collapsed.
“All of our close-nit friends come here, some of them have even been here for years and years, some of them have been married here, and then there children have been married here, and their children have been married here,” said church member Della Cline.
The ATF says arson is not suspected. The historic church is considered a total loss and will have to be demolished.
Associate Pastor of First United Methodist Church Mike Cassidy says donations were also lost in the fire.
“It’s dippers, it’s kids highchairs, it’s clothing from ages zero, premie, all the way to 18,” said Cassidy.
Reed, who called in the fire, actually got married at the church.
#Sedalia Police Sgt. Ryan Reed was married at the First United Methodist Church. He saw smoke & called in the fire. pic.twitter.com/MUxXPNeGAK
— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) March 3, 2016
"I'll look back on now and see our wedding photos and things and know that's no longer there," he said.
Soon after dawn people like 11-year-old Joseph Myers wanted to see the damage for themselves.
"I saw a big fire truck spraying water down and I wanted to come check it out," he said.
So did Megan Craig who heard about it as she began her overnight shift at Casey's.
"It looked like a giant torch in the sky," she said.
But for Cristy Poppinga, it meant much more.
"I remember going to bible school and having Kool-Aid and cookies in the basement I can still smell the smell," she said.
The long-time Sedalia resident says the church provided support during her worst moments.
"My daughter got a heart transplant and my first husband died of ALS and they were there," Poppinga said.
Deputy Chief Greg Harrell who helped put out the fire also called First United Methodist his place of worship.
"Lot of memories and this morning it's a hull and the key thing is that nobody got hurt," Deputy Chief Harrell said.
Investigators from the Missouri State Fire Marshall's Office are on scene and personnel from the ATF are assisting with the investigation to determine what caused the fire.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com.
