CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A local church says the fire at A Plus Roofing in Cape Coral also impacted their building - and they don't have insurance to cover the damage.
Pastor Chad Hitchcock of Calvary Baptist says he immediately went to check on his church when he first heard of Monday's fire.
But he says the status of his building was hard to tell with the flames and smoke - as firefighters worked the scene.
“I really didn’t understand the full impact ’til I got here the next day," Hitchcock said.
The metal roof on the building melted - leaving behind severe, charred and extensive damage to the items inside of the building that's been apart of Hitchcock's family for years.
“We had my mom’s funeral here. Me and my wife got married here," he tells FOX 4's Shari Armstrong. “It just burned everything inside our church.”
A moment that has broken its members, too.
Alicia Raichle says she's been a member for multiple years and stopped by Tuesday after hearing the news of the fire.
"It's just hard to see," Raichle tells us.
Both Hitchcock and Raichle say on average, about 30 to 50 people come here for Sunday service.
What comes next for the church remains unknown.
“We paid off the building but we didn’t have insurance on it. I couldn’t afford to keep the insurance on it. So, I don’t have that outlet to go to.”
But Pastor Hitchcock says he has faith.
“I’ve been a Christian a long time. I know that it’s all going to work out," he said.
Local churches, including Next Level Church and First Congregational Church in Cape Coral, have contacted Hitchcock to provide support during this time.
An investigation into the cause of the fire continues at the time of this report.
