House of Prayer Church burns; ATF, fire marshal investigating

An investigation is underway on the cause of a church fire at Burning Springs early Wednesday morning.

Officials with the state fire marshal’s office and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) were on scene Wednesday morning investigating the cause of the fire at the Solid Rock House of Prayer Church off U.S. 421.

At approximately 04:05 AM on May 8th, 2024, the City of Manchester Fire Department was notified by Clay County E-911 for a mutual aid response to the Burning Springs Fire Department, for a structure fire requesting use of an extension ladder truck.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions emitting from the attic space of the church.

Firefighter’s forced entry into the building making an aggressive offensive attack on the fire.

While making an offensive push into the building, Manchester and Fogertown firefighters began a fire attack while attempting to salvage instruments and musical equipment from inside the church.

Soon after, due to the structural stability, firefighters were pulled from the structure for safety concerns and transitioned into a defensive attack. Personnel were on scene for sev-eral hours into the morning before clearing with no incident.

A new House of Prayer Church is currently under construction, but the congregation was still utilizing their current location.

Assisting on scene: Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Fogertown Fire Department, Clay County Emergency Management, Clay County EMS, and Jackson Energy Cooperative.