‘Heroic efforts’ from community after Fellowship Alliance Chapel fire

Just after 9 p.m.on July 3, local fire and mutual aid departments were dispatched to a fire at Fellowship Alliance Chapel. 

The Worship Center at the Fellowship Alliance Chapel campus on Church Road caught fire after lightning struck the top of the building during the severe thunderstorms, according to church officials. The fire was contained to the roof and ceiling of the building, limiting how much of the building was affected. However, smoke and water damage from putting out the fire caused some of the internal damage. 

No one was in the building or injured at the time of the fire. No major injuries were reported from first responders on the scene either. 

According to the chapel’s Facebook posts, there were more than nine emergency response teams across Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties present the night of the fire, including squads from Tabernacle and Shamong. Nearly 400 emergency response personnel showed up and contributed about 70 pieces of rescue equipment, containing items like ladders and water tanks. Medford’s Taunton and Union Fire Companies were the first on the scene, and Incident Command requested multiple alarms for the fire in order to gather the necessary number of mutual aid equipment and personnel to assist in the situation. 

“In the summer heat, personnel must be rotated frequently due to personnel wearing bulky turnout gear, breathing air packs (SCBA), and the strenuous work involved in fire suppression,” officials from Taunton Fire Company wrote in a Facebook post. “Additionally, getting equipment such as K12 cutting saws and other firefighting equipment onto multiple level high roofs is very challenging and strenuous.”

The emergency response teams were at the scene until the fire was under wraps around 1 a.m., according to a Facebook post from Union Fire Company. 

“The heroic efforts they displayed were vital in preventing what could have been a much worse disaster, and praise God there were no injuries,”  Elder Board chairman Dave Gutekunst said in an email to the Sun. 

The church has formed a Recovery Planning Team, and it is in the process of moving forward with appropriate short-term and long-term steps. Updates will come as more is revealed. 

Since July 4, BELFOR Property Restoration has been at the site, working to remove damaged materials from affected areas. Community support has also been active since the holiday weekend. 

Within 36 hours of the fire, a Sunday service was still held at Fellowship Alliance Chapel. Rather than inside the now-damaged Worship Center, the service took place inside the campus’ Fellowship Center, which chapel officials refer to as “the old Sanctuary.” 

“We are thankful for the many people that gave up their Fourth of July plans to help get our old building ready for worship,” Gutekunst said. “The worship services were heartfelt and filled with hope knowing that God will sustain us.”

Sunday services will continue to be held in the same location at its regularly scheduled times of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to any services, classes, or events at the campus. 

“We are thankful for the outpouring of love and goodwill we have received from the community around us,” Gutekunst said. “The responses we have received from many churches, local school and community officials, and the community at large has meant more than words can describe in reviving our spirits and preparing our hearts for the work ahead.”