SANFORD, Fla. – A fire broke out at a church in Sanford on Wednesday morning.
Fire officials responded around 4:30 a.m. to Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church on Orange Avenue.
Video shows smoke billowing from the roof as firetrucks worked to fight the blaze.
911 audio obtained by News 6 reveals a man who was walking his dog saw the fire and called for help.
“Lots of fire coming out of the back, the alley side,” the man can be heard telling dispatch. “It’s roaring out the window now.”
David Griffin, the pastor’s son, said he got a call early Wednesday morning and rushed over to see what was going on.
“Having a fire is the worst-case scenario,” said Griffin. “Never want it to happen, and that’s what happened this morning.”
[WATCH: Fire breaks out at Sanford church]
Griffin tells News 6 that the church is over 100 years old, and the fire not only destroyed the building but also decades of history.
“Zora Neale Hurston, the famous author, her father was a pastor of this church,” said Griffin. “She grew up in this church as well.”
Griffin said generations of children have grown up within these four walls. The church has been a fixture in the Georgetown community for so many families.
He gave our News 6 crew a glimpse inside to see the walls that have turned black and parts of the ceiling that have collapsed. So much has been damaged by the fire and smoke.
“Stained glass windows are broken,” said Griffin. “Smoke damage, water damage. The list goes on.”
Griffin said his father, Pastor Michael Griffin, has been at the church for 21 years. He was out of state when he learned what happened.
“We’ve been trying to get insurance for this building for the past two years now, and no insurance company wants to insure us,” said Griffin. “We like to protect our historic buildings and being that it hasn’t been protected by these insurance companies is really a struggle and frustration for us.”
Griffin said without that coverage, the small congregation has been left to rebuild on their own.
A GoFundMe page has been created to gather support and money for the place that “once stood as a symbol of faith and unity” that is now gone. “This loss has been heartbreaking for everyone who knows and loves this place,” the page says.
Officials say no one was hurt, and they’re still working to figure out what led to the fire.
Griffin told News 6 that they believe it was an electrical fire.
“I’m pretty sure with the community and people that support us they’ll be able to rally around us and help us get our facility back better than ever,” said Griffin.