BYRON CENTER, Mich — Smoke was still billowing from Byron Center Bible Church Monday morning as fire crews from multiple departments responded long before sunrise.
A passerby reported the church was on fire around 4:20 a.m. Monday.
"About 4:20 to 4:40 this morning, some passerby reported that the church was on fire. Our first unit arrived on scene, found fire through the roof," Chief Lohman said.
Crews faced challenges battling the blaze due to the building's construction.
"We've been struggling with it. There's a lot of additions. There's a double roof on the building, so it's been a little bit difficult to get to the fire," Lohman said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but with the severe storms that rolled through Sunday night into Monday morning, investigators have a leading theory.
"The assumption would be — and we're looking at the possibility of lightning, but we still have to go through our investigative process to fully determine that," Lohman said.
Nearby resident Kelly Eklund said the storms were intense overnight.
"There was a lot of lightning that was very loud and very close last night, but I didn't think about checking on it because we were out of electricity when I got up this morning, put the dog out, and I could just smell like electrical smoke, so I knew something was up," Eklund said.
Eklund said the fire will be felt throughout the community, even by those who don't attend the church.
"Just kind of devastated that this is going on in our, our community, um, and, you know, just looking for ways that we can help," Eklund said.
Read more stories from the FOX 17 Morning News team
Do you have an idea for the Morning News team or maybe an idea for a guest segment or something for the gang to come out and try? Send them an email at mornings@fox17online.com or call 616-447-5252 and leave a message.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
