Five-alarm blaze damages east Stockton church

March 08--STOCKTON -- A difficult early morning fire in an east Stockton church caused extensive damage to the sanctuary, a storage room and other parts of the large building before firefighters were able to bring it under control.

The fire was reported a few minutes before 3 a.m. and appeared to have started in a narrow open area between the New Beginnings Deliverance Center Apostolic Faith church at 2571 Waterloo Road and Larry's Industrial Park, just east of North Filbert Street, according to the Stockton Fire Department.

The fire went to five alarms, calling for mutual aid, after Stockton crews arrived and observed heavy fire between the two large buildings.

"It got into a storeroom in the church with lots of stock, then ran into the attic. It went to a fifth alarm because of the difficulty and how high that ceiling was in the church. It was very manpower intensive," Battalion Chief Shannon Lewis said.

"The crews did a really good job saving the church from a lot of damage to the sanctuary."

In all, 12 engines and three truck companies responded to the fire and crews brought it under control in about 90 minutes. No injuries were reported, he said.

Adding to the complexity of the fire was the building's construction. The ceiling in the sanctuary was 16 feet high and made of plaster reinforced with chicken wire.

"That made it really slow to get into the attic where the fire was jumping between different rafter areas," Lewis said. "And there were a lot of void areas where fire ran through. There was also a lot of heavy stock in the back area that slowed us down."

The sanctuary suffered extensive damage, primarily in the altar area where the ceiling was compromised. A storeroom filled with a variety of supplies such as paper goods, bottled water and soda appeared to take the brunt of the fire, smoke and water damage.

Fire also damaged a wooden shed on the back side of the church and a small section of one metal building at Larry's Industrial Park next door.

The total amount of loss is unknown.

Lewis said Thursday afternoon it was too early in the investigation to say what caused the fire or to definitively say where it began.

A sign at the church indicated that its pastor is Bishop L.D. Stallworth, but he could not be reached for comment.

-- Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or [email protected]. Follow him at recordnet.com/goldeenblog and on Twitter @JoeGoldeen.

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