A church was severely damaged and at least one firefighter was injured in a fire in the Dallas area on Friday.
The fire started around 12:30 p.m. Friday at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Pastor P.D. Taylor, 85, who walks with a cane, was preparing for his Sunday sermon inside the church office when he noticed smoke. The pastor, a 48-year veteran, was the only one inside Pleasant Valley Baptist Church when the fire broke out.
SMOKE RISES OVER HISTORIC FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS
Taylor successfully evacuated the church and made a phone call to his wife, Jeanie.
The pastor reminded FOX 4 Dallas: “Jeanie, the building is on fire. Pray.”
The Dallas Fire Department told FOX 4 Dallas that 50 firefighters were on scene to extinguish the two-story blaze. One of the firefighters on scene is in stable condition after being injured and was taken to a nearby hospital.
A firefighter is in stable condition after being injured while battling a church fire in Dallas on Friday. (KDFW-United States)
Pastor PD Taylor spoke from a place of peace about the disaster with FOX 4 Dallas.
“There's a reason and I don't have to worry about it. When I die, I know where I'm going to go because on December 3, 1967, I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of my life,” Taylor said.
Emotional Dr. Robert Jeffrey is thankful no one was injured in the fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas: 'God has protected us'
The fire was mostly contained to the office areas of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and did not spread much into the sanctuary area, for which Pastor Taylor is thankful.
“We see God at work. We trust Him,” Taylor said.
A Baptist church in Dallas was severely damaged after a fire broke out on Friday for unknown reasons. (KDFW-United States)
While Pleasant Valley parishioners are unable to gather in the sanctuary this Sunday, they plan to hold their regular church meeting somewhere in the area.
This is the second major fire at a Dallas-area Baptist church in a week, as First Baptist Church in downtown Dallas also suffered a fire on Friday, July 19.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The cause of Friday's fire at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church is still under investigation.
