Fire rips through historic Burlco church building

The pastor of a Burlington County church had strong words about a two-alarm fire that destroyed a historic part of the building Tuesday morning.

"God allowed it. But I suspect Satan started it," the Rev. Joe Scro of Easton Bible Church in Hainesport wrote on the church's Facebook page after the blaze. "He made a big mistake. We are going to come through this stronger than ever before."

The church's meetinghouse was destroyed, Scro said by phone. It was built in 1811 and originally was a worship spot for Quakers until Scro's church was formed in 1920 and began using it as a sanctuary.

More recently - and now with a larger sanctuary that was spared by Tuesday's fire - the church held religious services for married couples in the meetinghouse.

Scro said he would meet with church officials Tuesday evening to determine whether to rebuild it. He called the fire "a shame" but said he would move forward optimistically.

"It's brick and mortar," he said. "We can rebuild that."

No one was injured in the fire, which occurred around 3 a.m. Associate Pastor Steve Johansson, who lives on the church grounds, smelled smoke and discovered the fire. Flames also ripped through the roof of the adjoining wing housing church offices.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.