6-alarm church fire spreads to homes

The morning fire that gutted a Strawberry Mansion church and spread to at least four nearby homes is under control, according to Deputy Fire Commissioner Ernest Hargett.

One firefighter was treated for minor burns to the back of his neck, Hargett said. Later, a woman at the scene was transported to the hospital suffering from injuries caused by the ash and smoke.

The raging flames inside the Prince of Peace Baptist Church, 32d and Berks Streets, sent out not only huge plumes of dark smoke but fiery debris that landed on rooftops and porch overhangs.

Firefighters do not know yet what caused the blaze.

Somehow the embers missed the closest houses on 32d Street but started a new fire that left at least three adjacent homes severely charred.

"My [house] is gone!" said a stunned Spencer M. Lewis, 36, as he snuck down an alley to check the back of his home and saw only a charred skeleton of what was his second floor.

"How does a fire burn out of control like this?" he asked as he walked away in anger. He had been told by his neighbor, Joe Moore, 45, that firefighters delayed spraying water on the burning houses.

Moore, pacing the streets in a robe, complained that he begged firefighters for 20 minutes while Lewis' house burned before they sprayed water on his house at 1826 32d St. Moore's house suffered minor damage.

Other residents, however, praised the firefighters' efforts.

Shanda Daniels, 34, just moved in last night to the house on 32d Street closest to the south side of the church - and it was spared the flames.

She said she had trouble sleeping last night, so she prayed, she said. This morning, she was awakened by firefighters entering her house to carry her out.

"It was only by God's grace," she said of her untouched house.

Clara Clark, 75, said embers were landing on her porch on 32d Street. "They told me to get away from the house. It was really bad," she said.

A house on nearby Euclid Avenue also caught on fire.

Ash covered cars on streets strewn with fire hoses, and the air downwind of the church became difficult to breathe.

Joseph Nicholson, 61, feared his home on Euclid near 32d would catch fire, too. "I was worried," he said. "I've been upstairs twice."

A helicopter was used to scan rooftops for fires, a fire official told him, he said.

Later, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Nicholson on his porch, asking him for a visual account of how the fire spread in the church.

The church was formerly the William J. Stokley School and Nicholson said he was a student there in the late 1950s. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the building is listed on the National Historic Registry.

The church fire was first reported shortly before 8 a.m. and had gone to five alarms by 8:39. At 9:06 it was six alarms.

Fire fighters responded within four minutes but the blaze intensified rapidly, Hargett said.

"It was like having a lumberyard inside," he said.

About 15 minutes after the fire was declared under control at 9:46, a section of the church's rear wall collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

Earlier, black smoke spewing from the three-story, stone-and-brick building could be seen for miles, and the smell of smoke even reached Center City.

Traffic, including SEPTA buses, was detoured away from the scene, creating some snarls, even on the nearby Schuylkill Expressway (I-76).

Church member Shavonne Cook said she left work to be on hand.

"It's sad seeing this happen," she said, "but I firmly believe that in this God will get the glory. We have a crusade coming up in May. We're not going to let this stop us. We'll find a way."

Robert Shipman, the church's pastor, said he plans to rebuild "with the help of God." He and other members of the congregation stood across the street looking at the charred remains of their church of 50 years. Some were weeping.

The church's Web site includes this description: "We are a conservative, evangelism oriented, Bible-based congregation with a strong African consciousness."