A Homestead church was destroyed by fire Thursday evening.

The fire at the Prayers and Deliverance Church on Amity Street in Homestead was reported at 6 p.m. Thursday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.

The church’s pastor Bernard Marabel told WPXI he knew something wasn’t right when he arrived on Thursday.

“The lights were out, which I didn’t understand. We went to the breaker box … lights came back on,” Marable said.

That’s when, he said, smoke began to pour from the ceiling.

“I started hearing popping noises,” he said. “I went up into the ceiling to see what it was — I saw flames.”

When the Homestead fire department arrived on the scene, they were faced with a challenge. An addition had been installed on top of the building’s original flat roof, which trapped the flames and smoke inside the new peak area.

Firefighters ended up using chainsaws to cut through the roof to allow the heat to escape.

Marable said the church, which counts 25 families in its congregation, will rebuild.

“Without church there is no life,” he said. “Keep praying for us. We’ll be back shortly.”

The fire marshal is investigating.

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