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Lightning causes $477,000 in fire damage to Cabarrus County church

By Jenna Deery and Tina Terry, wsoctv.com
By Jenna Deery and Tina Terry, wsoctv.com

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Crews battled a church fire for more than 11 hours on Cline School Road in Cabarrus County.

Officials said lightning caused the fire at Victory Temple Interdenominational Church on Monday night which caused $477,000 in damage.

The church, which has a congregation of about 150 people, was previously a school. The building has been a staple in the community for 90 years.

Neighbors said they heard a crack of lightning hit the roof and saw the fire spread quickly.

The pastor, Gary Posey, was on vacation when the church caught fire. He is now on his way back to check out the damage.

Posey told Channel 9 that he has been at the church since 1973.

"It just seems like a dream, really, to us that this happened, because we have been here for so many years," Posey said Tuesday.

Channel 9 spoke to Posey's brother who said the church and his brother will recover.

“He has had to fight a lot of battles, so I don't think this will extinguish his effort and work to go forward from here,” Ron Posey said.

Two fire fighters received treatment at the scene for heat-related injuries. A third firefighter received treatment for smoke inhalation, was transported to CMC-NorthEast and later released.

The Rimer Volunteer Fire Department responded to the initial call and reported working fire conditions. Crews from Mt. Pleasant, Cold Water, Mt. Mitchell, Bostian Heights, Rockwell Rural, City of Concord, Allen and Gold Hill fire departments assisted with the incident.

Cabarrus County Sheriff’s and Fire Marshal’s offices supported the response. Cabarrus County EMS provided medical monitoring for firefighters.

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