Members of one of this community’s oldest congregations — including the Sheriff of Nottoway County — are without their place of worship at Christmas following the fiery destruction Saturday night of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church west of Blackstone.
Sheriff Robert Jones, who serves as Mt. Nebo’s Trustee Chairman, said the church is a total loss — including the library, which included cherished items from the congregation’s early years. “Nothing of sentimental value was saved.”
The cause of Saturday’s blaze remains under investigation. Preliminary indications point to the church boiler.
The historic church was founded in 1867 — 158 years ago. The building destroyed by flames was built in 1975.
Jones recalls ringing the bell as a boy with his grandfather at the old frame church across the road on the day Mt. Nebo dedicated its brick building a half century ago.
According to the Sheriff, a neighbor down the road called 911 at 11:18 p.m. Saturday night and reported that the church was fully engulfed.
Sheriff Jones said Monday that the fire appeared to have originated in the rear of the church — in the boiler room located in the church basement. Virgina State Police arson investigators inspected the ruins Sunday morning as is customary, Jones said. “We have not received information from them as of yet.”
Jones arrived at the fiery scene around Midnight, “and it was fully involved.”
Blackstone Fire Chief Zac Beares said that from the department’s perspective, “It appears the fire may have started in the rear to middle of the building.”
Beares said that when the first units arrived on scene, “The roof of the church already had collapsed, and there was fire throughout the church.”
Blackstone received mutual aid from Crewe, Burkeville, Kenbridge, and Victoria firefighters and Nottoway County Emergency Squad.
Beares said volunteers sprayed more than 50,000 gallons of water and were on the scene for approximately five hours. “Additionally, the fire does not seem suspicious, based on what we saw during the initial fire attack and overhaul.”
Mt. Nebo had no worship services scheduled for this past Sunday. The church meets for worship on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sundays of the month.
At deadline Monday, Jones said that plans for worship this coming Sunday — the final Sunday of Advent — were still a “work in progress.”
Two things for certain, said Jones, is that the church is insured and it will rebuild.
Members of several local churches have reached-out to assist Mt. Nebo and also have invited members to attend services with them.
Jones said an authorized Mt. Nebo member had been inside the church at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and didn’t smell or observe anything unusual. Jones said that to his knowledge, the last time the thermostat was adjusted was when he himself turned it back down to 68° following worship services on Sunday, December 7th.
Only a wooden cross just outside the church remained intact as members and other onlookers arrived throughout the day Sunday to see for themselves the horrible news they had received overnight.
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