'Outpouring of love' | Community support after two-alarm fire at historic Arlington church

ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — A historic church in Arlington, Va. --- considered the county's oldest church site in continuous use, is now assessing the damage after a two-alarm fire early Friday morning.

Around 2:40 a.m., Arlington County Fire and EMS said crews responded to Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in the 1500 block of North Glebe Road. Flames were coming through the roof when firefighters first arrived on the scene.

The church was established in 1854.

Fire Captain Nate Hiner said units were able to knock down the fire in about 40 minutes, with more than 100 firefighters on the scene.

Senior Pastor Sara Porter Keeling, who lives near the church, said the fire department came to her house to notify her.

"A knock on my door at 3:30 a.m., from the fire department. They were notifying me there was a fire at the church," said Porter Keeling, adding she was relieved to learn the sanctuary was spared. "We are very fortunate there were not any injuries, no one was harmed, and anything that was damaged, all of that sort of thing can be replaced."

She said the fire started in the attic above the church's music and education wing.

"My understanding is that it was an attic storage space about this north wing of our building, which is where we have music and classrooms, and then office space," she said. "Our understanding is it was most likely electrical."

The official cause and origin of the fire is still under investigation, but Porter Keeling said fire officials told church staff there is no reason to suspect foul play.

The pastor also shared a letter to her congregation on the church's website, saying the Mount Olivet Preschool is canceled Friday as a result, and officials will not hold worship in the building on Sunday. Officials said they plan to hold Sunday’s service outdoors, in the church parking lot, as they deal with the impacts of this fire.

"Preschool had to be canceled, probably for a few days, we don't know how long exactly," said Porter Keeling.

She told 7News that about a hundred students are currently enrolled in the church's preschool.

"Then Sunday morning is obviously a big thing here, and we've been scrambling to change our plans and come up with an alternative," she explained. "It looks like we'll do something in our parking lot and green space, and COVID certainly prepared us for worshipping in different ways, so it's not quite the curveball it would have been a few years ago."

That outdoor service is set for 11 a.m. Sunday and staff encouraged members of the congregation to bring blankets or chairs to sit on.

Church officials said there is likely "extensive smoke and water damage" in parts of the building. The aftermath of the fire on Friday prompted concern for a local nonprofit known as 'READ: Read Early and Daily', which is housed in a basement room inside the church.

"I launched Read Early and Daily in November of 2017, and our mission is, we get books out to babies and toddlers and preschoolers who do not have books in their homes here in Arlington," said Jennifer Sauter-Price, the founder and executive director of READ.

She's also a longtime member of the Mount Olivet congregation and said the church "graciously" gave her space inside the building to store thousands of books that are essential to her nonprofit's work.

"I got word that there was some water in the room, but the books looked okay," she said. "But it soon became apparent.. they had to use a lot of water last night to get the fire out, so now it is slowly -- if you go to the first floor, there's a lot of water on the first floor -- and there's concern it may start seeping in through the ceiling."

At that point, Sauter-Price said she quickly put out a call for assistance, asking for people to come to the church and help her move the books out before they get wet.

"I put out a call to volunteers, I just sent out a message, and wow! People came," she said. "There are people here who just get my newsletter that I've never met before. Isn't that amazing? I'm so overwhelmed."

Porter Keeling, the pastor, said that's what this church community and the larger Arlington community are all about.

"It shows you just how much everyone loves who we are and what we do here, and how important it is we come together when needed," she said. "The outreach, the outpouring of love. People literally here to roll up our sleeves and help do what we need to do."

For now, Porter Keeling said they're focused on short-term plans following the fire. The church is waiting for the fire department and fire marshal to finish their investigation. No one is allowed into the building until the fire department deems it is safe, though Hiner with ACFD noted that the church "would be inhabitable later."

"We would love to just be back to normal on Monday and worship in the sanctuary next Sunday, but it sounds like it's going to be a much longer process," said Porter Keeling. "The fire department has to make sure the air quality is good, and there is going to have to be a lot of repairs. There are some structural things that need to happen in the attic, some rebuilding, roofing, beams, that sort of thing, and then just a lot of water damage."

7News asked the pastor what her message to the congregation will be on Sunday morning.

"Our message is we are still very hopeful for our future, as we are coming back from the pandemic," she said. "And this is just one more thing that will hopefully bring us together as a community, as we just come together to support one another."

You can read the pastor's letter to the Mount Olivet congregation below:

"Dear Mount Olivet Family,

You have likely heard the news of a fire at Mount Olivet early this morning, Friday, October 14.

The fire began in the attic above the music and education wing. Thankfully no one was in the building and there are no injuries.

Thanks to many firefighters and first responders from Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church, the fire has been extinguished.

There is likely extensive smoke and water damage to that part of the building. The sanctuary and preschool wings were not harmed.

Due to the ongoing nature of this situation, we will not be able to hold worship in our building this Sunday morning. Once we know what our plan will be for Sunday morning worship and beyond, we will let you know!

Currently, the building is not secure and the fire investigation is ongoing. Please do not enter the building until further notice.

We are beyond grateful that no one was injured and this was no worse than it is, but we still ask that you be in prayer for our community, clergy, and staff as we navigate the following days and weeks.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Sara"