PAGELAND, S.C. — Church members in Pageland stood in the dark Wednesday morning, and watched their church burn to the ground.
The large cinder block building was a nightclub 18 years ago. It had also been an ABC liquor store, and a hair salon. Church members decided to make a home there, and impact their community.
"We took in drug addicts, people with problems at home. It didn't matter what your background was, we accepted you with open arms," said Assistant Pastor Angela Blackwell.
[ PHOTOS: Firefighters battle fire at Pageland church ]
Now, Giver of Life Church needs help from the community it has served, to find a new home.
Around 6 a.m. Wednesday, some neighbors heard an explosion, then saw flames towering three times as high as the roof of the building. Several fire departments arrived on Sewell Street, but it was already too late to save it.
"On one end of the building, the roof had already fallen in. It was heavily involved," said High Point Fire Chief Wendell Johnson.
Johnson also said the roof had been redone several times, and there was a lot of tar that was fuel for the fire.
Lance Blakeney heard a boom and came outside his home just across Sewell Street from the church. He was stunned at what he saw.
"The flames were big. I'd never seen anything like it. I'm still in shock," he said.
As with all church fires, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials were notified. They had agents at the scene for hours, waiting until the rubble cooled enough to allow them inside to investigate.
Firefighters told Channel 9 that Pageland police did a routine property check on the church, hours before the fire, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Investigators spent the afternoon taking pictures, digging out the rubble and interviewing church leaders about the building.
Blackwell said the last time anyone was inside was Sunday morning for church.
"It’s hard to see it just go up in flames," she said.
Investigators said the fire does not look suspicious, but there's no official word on a cause yet.
The building is a total loss.
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