The fire that engulfed an abandoned church in Leeds was “massive” by the time help arrived, Leeds Fire & Rescue reported late Saturday.

In an extensive Facebook post, Leeds Fire & Rescue said the destruction of the old church on Ashville Road was “a devastating fire to the community.”

“Around 5:00 pm today [Saturday] we were notified of a fire at the Old Church on Ashville Rd.,” said the post. “When our units arrived they found the church full of flames. They attempted to enter in the front door of sanctuary area and a basement door but the fire was already massive in both areas and they had to pull back.” Firefighters surrounded the building in a defensive approach. The scene was a difficult one, according to the post, with high winds blowing embers across the road and endangering nearby houses. Freezing temperature were an additional complication.

“We know this was a devastating fire to the community,” said the post. “If not the oldest, one of the oldest church buildings in Leeds. Several citizens grew up/attended this church when it was First Baptist Church and while it was Pathway Baptist Church. Every effort was put into extinguishing this fire. Off duty members came to assist because they saw the smoke while traveling towards Leeds on I-20, as well as others learning through social media. They came because they knew this was a challenging and dangerous fire due to the age of the building and that the building had been vacant for many years leaving several areas in a dilapidated state. We all know that people occupy this structure for various reasons, some for exploring, some for nefarious reasons, and some for shelter. We hope and pray no one was in this structure.”

The cause is under investigation, with assistance from the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office.

In the post, Leeds Fire & Rescue thanked the Moody Fire Department for its assistance. It also expressed gratitude to Leeds police and the Leeds Street Department for managing traffic around the scene, and to Chick-fil-A, Waffle House and Regional Paramedical Services for additional support.