Fire erupts at Church of the Valley in Apple Valley

Jan. 19--APPLE VALLEY -- Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire at Church of the Valley that destroyed a fenced storage area and caused extensive damage to an adjacent structure.

The Apple Valley Fire Protection District received a report of the blaze at 10:30 p.m Thursday at the church located in the 20700 block of Standing Rock Avenue next to Civic Plaza Park, Battalion Fire Chief Jim Hulbert reported.

The fire appears to have started and was confined to the enclosed yard area, which also included a small shed that was consumed in the blaze, which was knocked down in about 20 minutes.

The AVFPD was assisted by San Bernardino County Fire. Firefighters knocked down the blaze by 11:15 p.m. There were no injuries reported and the church's main sanctuary and larger buildings were not affected, Hulbert said.

Church ministry associate Kathy Bishop told the Daily Press on Friday she's thankful there were no injuries and that the blaze didn't touch the main sanctuary, where weekly services are held.

Church volunteers Greg Hinkle and Don Amador were at the church Friday morning to inspect the damage that occured to the permanent structure and enclosed area at the northeast end of the campus.

Both structures were used to store donated items that will be sold during the church's bi-annual rummage sale. The fire occurred just yards from several wooden sheds that are also used to store sale items, Amador said.

"This enclosed area was used to store hard-to-sell items and most of those items were made of metal," Amador told the Daily Press. "The bigger building contains furniture, larger items and donations that have just arrived."

The permanent structure -- with rollup doors, three entry doors and cooling system -- appeared to have sustained exterior damage, with signs "the fire or smoke" may have entered the building, Hinkle said.

"The doors are locked and there's caution tape over them so we don't know what kind of damage was caused inside the building," said Hinkle, as he pointed to smoke stains over three doors. "I know our insurance will take of the damage and I know that Romans 8:28 will play out."

Hinkle's Biblical reference states that, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him..."

"The last fire destroyed two of our sheds that contained books and electronics," Hinkle said. "That fire was determined to be arson. I hope it's not the same story for this fire."

Hinkle and Amador said they are not sure if the surveillance cameras attached to the building captured any activity.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson in the 2016 fire that destroyed four sheds and a travel-trailer at the church. Property damage was determined to be $8,000, the AVFPD reported.

Hulbert said there appears to be no link between Thursday's blaze and the last one that occurred at the church, but the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Apple Valley Fire Protection District at 760-247-7618 . Persons wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or online at www.wetip.com.

Staff Writer Paola Baker contributed to the story.

Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, [email protected], Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz and Instagram @reneraydelacruz

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