Fires destroy historic church and home during North Texas storms

Some Royse City neighbors hug each other as they watch firefighters spray the smoky remains of their church.

"It's just painful," Michael Baley, a congregant of Royse City First United Methodist Church.

Firefighters were called to the church's sanctuary building just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday. On arrival, they said the attic was already on fire.

Baley's family history is intertwined with the history of the 120-year-old building: His grandfather used to preach there, and his grandparents and parents were married there.

"My mom was christened and baptized here, along with her twin brother and sister," he said. "My brother and I were both christened and baptized here. We were married here with our wives."

"So, yeah, it's been a member of my family for many years," Baley added.

But he and others are leaning on their faith and each other.

"Well, like Christ rose from the dead, our church will continue to rise from the dead," he said.

Senior pastor Chris Everson said they are grateful no one was in the building at the time.

“Even with the loss of the sanctuary, God is still here," Everson said.

He said he still plans to hold Sunday service at the church, although he's not yet sure exactly where or how.

The fire chief told NBC 5 that lightning is likely behind the fire, but they're still investigating.

The City of Sunnyvale's fire chief said the weather is also probably behind the flames that engulfed a home on Tripp Road. She said it was likely a lightning strike or electrical surge but they are also still investigating.

Sherin Jose, who lives across the street, said her family had just finished sheltering from the storm in the bathroom. Her mom went to change her baby's diaper.

"My baby was actually staring at the fire. And so, my mom turned around to look at what he was staring at and realized that it had caught fire. She screamed, all of us came running out of the room, I called 911 immediately," Jose said.

She said she and her neighbors had a group text, so they found out that the house was vacant.

Jose said she then worried that the fire would spread to her home due to dense trees.

"Thank God, it was really scary. Somebody's saying some strong prayers out there for us," she said.