FEDERALSBURG, Md. — A fire tore through the Church of Nazarene in Federalsburg late Wednesday night, leaving members of the Caroline County congregation without their house of worship.
Members of the church say they aren't just mourning the loss of the building; they're mourning the memories they made inside it.
Caleb Pradieu moved to the area from Haiti in 2010. He said he’s been coming to this church since he was little.
"As soon as I found it out, I came here,” Pradieu said. “It almost had me tear up because it's like memories, lots of memories. A building can always be rebuilt. A house can always be rebuilt. But the memories are definitely significant," Pradieu said.
Estelle Lima, who has attended the church since she was 5 years old, said the church has become a home for Federalsburg's Haitian community.
"It has so many memories for me personally,” Lima said. “I've lived in Federalsburg my whole life, but when we discovered that there was a space for Haitians to come and worship, we were so ecstatic over the moon. And ever since we started coming here, we just felt at home.”
Broken windows and charred walls mark the damage at the Church of Nazarene in Federalsburg, where a Wednesday night fire left the Caroline County congregation without a place to worship.
The Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company responded to the blaze Wednesday night. Lt. Matthew Green said the department called in additional help due to the severity of the fire.
"It was a large enough fire that we had to call an extra help to help extinguish the fire. The initial engine company crew had made a quick knock on the fire. They worked for about 30 minutes, came out, went to rehab, and we sent a second crew in to finish extinguishment and start overhaul," Green said.
Green said approximately 60 firefighters from several companies responded to the scene. It took over an hour to contain the fire, and crews worked for approximately three hours before clearing the scene.
"We had called in extra help due to the heat of the night and the amount of work that we had to perform. It's a lot of work to pull ceilings, pull walls down, and make sure everything's fully extinguished," Green said.
Church secretary Alouse Jean said she struggled to process the news when she first learned of the fire.
"When I need someone to lean on, I lean to my church,” Jean said. “ I want to tell people how valued this place is for us as a community. We've been in that church for 30 some years, and you know that just brings us together, but not just us, the whole community. We always will be open to anybody.”
Jean said the church has long served as a gathering place for the entire Federalsburg community, not just its congregation.
"It's not just Haitian, anybody, the doors are always open.” Jean said. “We are people in the community. When they need help, they come to our parish.”
According to church leaders, the congregation is known as the first Haitian Nazarene church on Delmarva.
No injuries were reported. According to the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, the fire caused an estimated $350,000 in damage — $300,000 to the structure and $50,000 to its contents. Investigators have not yet determined the origin and cause of the fire.
Church leaders said Sunday worship will move online for the time being, and two events planned for later this month — including an annual community barbecue — are cancelled. The town's activities center has offered the congregation a temporary place to worship, and church leaders said they plan to begin fundraising efforts in the coming weeks.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the cause of the fire.
