THOMASVILLE, Ala. (AP) — What police are describing as an accidental fire has destroyed a church in rural west Alabama.
The New Hope No. 1 Baptist Church went up in flames early Thursday in Thomasville.
Police Chief Mitchell Stuckey tells WKRG-TV that authorities believe the fire was caused by a power surge after a tree fell and knocked out power in the area earlier.
The building that burned was an old sanctuary located beside a new worship space that's under construction. The church was still using it for services.
A message on the church's Facebook page shows a photo of the smoldering ruins. It calls the destruction of the building a "great loss."
