Leesburg Church Suffers Damage in Evening Fire

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on January 15, 2020

An investigation remains underway regarding a massive fire that broke out at a Leesburg church close to 6:45 on the night of Friday, January 10th. Reports from the church leaders as well as fire officials who responded to the initial reports of the fire initially indicated that the reason behind the sudden fire was not known. It was revealed shortly afterwards that, in fact, there was reason to believe that the fire was the result of an intentional act of vandalism and that the individual who caused the fire was identified and apprehended shortly after the incident began.

It is not known who first noticed the fire or who called the authorities to alert them to the blaze. What we do know is that the church, located at 102000 Morningside Drive, is called GraceWay and that it works closely with numerous missions in the area including Habitat for Humanity, Duvall Homes, and Rise Against Hunger.

After the fire was noticed, numerous emergency response crews rushed to the scene to try and contain the blaze and save as much of the building and surrounding campus as possible. When the emergency crews reached the site, they found that the largest portion of the blaze was relegated to the youth and children’s building. A portion of this building houses a popular cafe which is run by both members of the church’s congregation as well as individuals diagnosed with autism. Focusing their efforts on this portion of the church, the fire teams were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and secure all of the surrounding buildings. Sadly, despite the work of the firefighters, the cafe and much of the youth building was destroyed.

The pastor of the GraceWay congregation told reporters that the community was indeed devastated by the incident, but that they are looking at this as an opportunity to engage in healing and increased outreach within the community.

The church will be holding services as usual while the investigation into the fire remains underway. No information on the individual who was arrested in connection with the fire was released and it is not clear if any charges have yet to be filed.

Sources:

• Crews respond to church fire in Leesburg

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.