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'Massive' fire burns New Plymouth church

The Idaho State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire, which started Sunday night at New Plymouth First Baptist Church.

NEW PLYMOUTH, Idaho — A fire that started Sunday night has destroyed a church building in New Plymouth.

The Idaho State Fire Marshal's Office said firefighters from several departments in surrounding communities were called to fight the "massive" fire at First Baptist Church, located at Elm Street and Holly Avenue.

The fire destroyed the church, according to New Plymouth Fire Chief Alen Blevins. Smoke still flowed out of the building into Monday afternoon indicating the fire is still active, but contained.

The fire marshal's office is investigating the origin and cause of the fire. The fire marshall's office told KTVB the investigation could take days.

Sarah Newsome grew up attending the church and lives in a house directly across the street from the church building. Newsome saw the fire start around 9 p.m. Sunday, she said.

"It seemed like they were gonna get it contained, and then it just took off," Newsome said. "As soon as you saw the flames you knew it wasn’t gonna be – it wasn’t coming back. It was gone."

Current senior pastor Phil Pittman has worked at the church for more than 40 years. His grandfather helped build the church in 1925 by hauling in the belltower from Baker City, Oregon.

"The building was special in a lot of ways. There's a lot of history," Pittman said. "It's the people that make up the church. And we do have tremendous amount of hope. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God. We know this is gonna serve a good purpose for us."

It's unclear what is next for the New Plymouth First Baptist Church until the cause of the fire is known, according to Pittman. In terms of preserving the history, Pittman hopes to save the belltower and some of the original brick.

Payette County officials stated that the church was a polling station scheduled for Payette County voters in precincts 9 and 10 for tomorrow’s election. The County said the new polling location will be held at the New Plymouth School District Office at 222 North Plymouth Avenue. They said any voters who have questions should reach out to the Payette County Clerks' office at (208)642-6000.

Video courtesy of Jesse Black.

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