Historic church full of memories burns in West Charlotte

CHARLOTTE (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) — A church with a rich history dating back to the 1800’s went up in flames in Charlotte Thursday.

Big Spring United Methodist Church was rebuilt in 1907, and again in 1950. Fire investigators are trying to determine what caused the church to burn down.

According to Charlotte Fire Captain Jackie Gilmore, it took more than 30 firefighters close to an hour to fight the flames in the 5300 block of Old Dowd Road Thursday. The call came into Charlotte Fire around 10 a.m.

Firefighters established a collapse zone for the safety of those battling the flames.

“It’s very surreal,” said John Moore, who grew up playing baseball by the church. “It is just sad to see it, it really is.”

As Moore watched the old church burn, he recalled fond memories of growing up here.

“I didn’t really attend the church,” he said. “But we were out here every Saturday playing baseball in the park nearby. It was a very laid back, peaceful feeling back then.”

Moore snapped photos of the historic church recently. Now, they serve as reminders of a place once filled with joyful moments of youth.

“We had a great time,” he said. “I have some very warm memories of the place. Everyone associated with the church was very kind and helpful for the kids coming out to play baseball.”

One person was treated on the scene and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. No firefighters were injured.

“Something like this just pulls at your heart strings,” Moore said. “It’s just an unreal kind of feeling.”

Fire investigators are working to determine the fire’s cause. Fire crews estimate $500,000 in damage.