Fire officials: Paris church a total loss
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PARIS, Tenn. — Paris fire fighters said smoke could be seen for miles Thursday morning after a church caught fire. Dozens of church members watched in awe as Trinity United Methodist Church was destroyed by a fast-moving fire. “We see the structure is gone and we see the flames and we see the intense smoke, but it’s still hard to believe we just can’t comprehend that our church is gone,” church member Connie Wilson said. Wilson has been a member at Trinity United Methodist Church for 42 years and said it’s been a place of celebration for many families, over the years. “Our two daughters were christened in this church, they married in this church and there’s just a lot of fond memories here,” Wilson said. Captain Barry Farmer with the Paris Fire Department sad his crews were on scene for about six hours. “When we got here the winds started blowing immediately, it seemed about 15 to 20 miles an hour it really hindered us from getting a very good action plan on it the wind was just blowing so hard,” Farmer said. Farmer said the church has been there since the mid 1950’s. Members said they do not know where they will worship Sunday, but they will be together. “This was just the building and we’ll rebuild and we’ll be alright, but it’s just hard to think of it today,” Wilson said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Captain Farmer said it does not appear suspicious. No injuries were reported.
