The fire started when the church was struck by lightning during a storm. Members of the church were meeting inside when the fire started.
Everyone evacuated the burning building safely, but it took hours and more than 100 firefighters to tame the flames destroying the First Baptist Church.
People from the community were reluctantly saying goodbye to the community landmark, built in 1872, as it burned to the ground, when one first responder emerged from the structure with a painting that was miraculously undamaged.
According to the Boston Globe, the painting of Jesus hadn’t been marked by fire, smoke, or water when it was found in the rubble. How it survived is a mystery.
Representatives from the church didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, the Globe reports that the painting will be given to a former pastor of the church. The First Baptist Church has since set up a GoFundMe page, and posted a statement on its website.
“We know that we serve a God who specializes in restoring brokenness and who can bring beauty even from ashes,” the statement reads. “So we move into the future with trust, hope, and gratitude.”
