
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 25, 1994                   TAG: 9405250047
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CHURCH FIRE CONTAINED TO 1 ROOM

A crowd gathered outside South Roanoke United Methodist Church on Tuesday night as firefighters fought to contain a blaze inside the large, brick structure at Jefferson and 24th streets.

No one was injured in the fire, which was reported by a neighbor who heard an alarm going off around 9 p.m., said District Fire Chief Bobbie Slayton.

Church members assembled in groups across the church lawn talking about the fire and how it was discovered, while Slayton and fire marshals examined the room where the blaze was contained - the children's choir room on the second floor.

The Rev. Ed Taylor, interim pastor, said the person who reported the fire, in all likelihood, prevented a larger amount of damage.

"We'll have church on Sunday," he said.

Slayton said the cause of the fire was under investigation. One church employee said the fire may have been set, but Slayton said, "I wouldn't go that far yet."

Slayton said the church suffered minimal damage, the biggest problem being the smell of smoke.

A church committee and a Boy Scout troop met in different areas of the building Tuesday night before the fire started, according to church members.

Slayton said fire investigators were trying to find the last person inside the church before the blaze began.

by CNB