Published Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999 The Rev. Vincent Bellanca, former pastor of Crossroads Christian Fellowship, noticed a fire in the basement of Bethel Life Church during his morning walk. He returned to his nearby home and called the Rev. David V. Carr, who along with his wife and three teen-age boys, lived in a parsonage attached to the Sheakley Avenue church.
The Carrs escaped unharmed from the parsonage as it filled with smoke. The church however, was gutted by the blaze.
Mr. Carr said firefighters were on the scene about 20 minutes after the warning call, just as flames ripped up through the church.
An hour and a half later, parts of the outside walls were charred and the church appeared to be gutted.
Hempfield Township Fire Chief Roy Ritter, who was on the scene this morning, said he had no idea what may have sparked the blaze.
Mr. Carr said he saw the fire in the kitchen area of the basement just before he fled. He said a Bible study was held in the church basement Wednesday night and someone might have left a coffee pot on in the kitchen.
Mr. Carr has been pastor at Bethel Life Church for 4 1/2 years. He said he will be searching for a site for worship services on Sunday.
