Fire Burns Through St. Mark's Methodist Church In Houston

09.20.2019 | 2:04 PM | HOUSTON - Authorities battled a second-alarm fire that ripped through a local methodist church, Friday afternoon.
Authorities responded to reports of a structure fire at St. Mark's United Methodist Church located in the 600 block of Pecore Street around 2:04 PM.
Units arriving on scene located a large two-story church with heavy fire showing on the southwest wing.
Crews worked to evacuated thee people, including one person in a wheelchair, while working to battle the flames.
It took just under 45 minutes for crews to extinguish the bulk of the flames.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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[@saminsalaco5829]

Nice stop! I thought that fire was going run the whole roof. Good job by the bucket, they got that water in where it it was needed. Didn't just elevate and point the stream down like you see so many times.👍

[@jamesdillard3583]

Great video and this brings back memories when I was a volunteer fireman for St.helens Oregon. It was a early morning fire and it was the first call into my shirt. We just got on duty when we got a call like this one.

[@wcresponder]

Was there a water supply problem, or pump problem or was sylvester turner inside.

[@hrhjrd]

Has anyone else noticed how churches usually always burn with such veracity. ….big or small. Nothing simple about a church fire.

[@jamesdziendziel9187]

lots of teak and mahogany, decades sometimes centuries of creosote from candle smoke up in the rafters. decades of varnish and wax on the wooden beams and decor etc.

[@MrHeesbeen]

I would suppose @@jamesdziendziel9187, that large open spaces rather than small comparmentalised rooms, helps the spread of a fire in a church.

[@rogerbarton497]

The word is "Ferocity" LOL

[@donnadreyer2580]

I can bet not one Bible or / Cross was touched. Churches have individual rooms IE Classrooms which will help contain the Fire, if that Church is an open concept Church, it doesn't stand a chance because the Fire will spread faster because it can't be contained in rooms.

[@ikonix360]

@@jamesdziendziel9187 not to mention many old churches were built with wood that is called Firestarter. Think it's it's certain type of pine.

[@TommyValentine]

Awesome Footage Zac 👍🏼

[@williamheber2118]

So much for PPE in that department?

[@EricTheBroBean]

Ive turned down the volume and playing Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn".. Great footage! :D

[@gneuhaus8047]

The work of tower 6 is very impressive.

[@barbannco]

why stop the water on this front of the building?

[@douggriffin2910]

Tower 6 is really kicking the shit out of that fire !!

[@robbysteele]

pump on pump off pump on wtf is that about

[@stevenschott4535]

Water supply

[@YelpBullhorn]

Jeez, never seen a water jet demolish a building’s roof before! It certainly did the job. Nice work.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

But did they get an interior attack going? I didn't see any lines go in that I could tell.

[@canadianphil421]

Awesome videos chief keep up the hard work

[@martinupper926]

Frig tower 6 has some power!! Serious water pressure and volume coming out that nozzle!

[@derrickharvey7487]

ITS A PIERCE.....WHAT DO YOU EXPECT

[@Bigjohn9181]

Absolutely amazing work by all involved 💙😁👍😎

[@thomassanzo8273]

good job wondering why only 1 truck company that i could see

[@bennyleonard9626]

Great job on the ladder hose Houston.

[@georgebarnes8163]

I have attended hundreds of fires in my time but it is always sad to see old community buildings like this getting destroyed

[@lordismo]

That’s ironic. There was a Sylvester Turner ad before and after this video. For those that don’t know he’s the mayor the Houston fire union backed when he ran in 2015. He was the only candidate that promised not to touch the firefighters pension. Wouldn’t you know, he immediately went after their pensions. I know guys losing $200k out of their retirement because of Turner. If that wasn’t enough, he went against the will of the Houston voters who voted for Proposition B (pay raise to equal HPD), which passed. He has fought tooth and nail and used city funds to fight and overturn it. The firefighters were not only screwed out of their pension, now there doesn’t appear to be a pay raise raise in site (they passed on pay raises over the years in order to keep their pension). Anyways. Good video as usual.

[@noneofyourbusiness4551]

lordismo Is there anyway to recall him and give the pensions and raises back to the fire fighters?

[@lordismo]

None of Your Business to be honest, I don’t know.

[@lindanwfirefighter4973]

lordismo I find these kind of people can make many people believe their lies. They can lie through their teeth and mean it as if what they are saying is truth. My grandfather was such a man when he was a major in Toronto Canada. Pure filthy. A real scum bag. Giving construction jobs to the company that gave him the thickest envelope under the table. Taking money to allow chemical companies pour their toxic waste in his land fill sites at night. A real gem. To this day children are dying of cancers because their houses were built over those land fill sites.

[@wcresponder]

What a complete and utter scum bag. A real pathetic lying thief.

[@nkovac9011]

@@lindanwfirefighter4973 Would you happen to know where some (or all) of these residential areas are that your granddad allowed toxic waste to be poured into?

[@philepstein524]

So they started to put water on it, then waited until it was out of control to continue.

[@lottnio8207]

Maybe the firefighters were Satan worshippers LOLLIO

[@ikonix360]

Prob used tank water initially and the hydrant supply wasn't up quick enough .

[@eastcoastalerting]

Somebody grab the holy water FAST

[@mikeymcmikeface5599]

LOL

[@jerryd6680]

No American Flag, No State Flag? Just curious.....

[@garyhess7439]

Only flag I see is gay pride,hmmm.

[@outdoorjunkie13]

Houses of worship regularly don't have flags because they are worshipping a deity, not a political system.

[@califdad4]

@@outdoorjunkie13 most I have been in do, and I'm Episcopalian, but not outside, usually inside the Church

[@21stcenturyozman20]

@@garyhess7439 Or perhaps the international peace flag, which is identical.

[@almostsk8terjamie]

The pews in that building might as well be solid blocks of gasoline. I got burned in a similar situation.

[@seanhenry4601]

What's the camera being used to film this video?

[@postalfnj]

good job and great water pressure

[@johnlovetttx]

A fire of that size and only ladder?????

[@kevinhoye4942]

These parking lot builders never seem t be n a hurry. Takes forever as they slowly move to get the first water on the blaze

[@asbestosfiber]

@ 2:56 I just don't understand the two guys working the blitzfire without gear. Just makes absolutely zero sense at all.

[@nebraskaninkansas347]

Dont really need the gear to aim a monitor. Those are usually set it and forget it. Departments use that on defensive fires to free up other personnel.

[@AnastaziaValvaine]

and what the fire doesn't destroy, the water pressure creates, good work..

[@markaraujo06]

are you serious? these firemen were trained to be fast why are they just just standing around being slow pokes?making the fire gets bigger.

[@GetReal521]

I know the firefighters have to work with precision and focus, however I watch so many of these videos where the FD kinda strolls down the street from the firetruck with hoses. I guess I watch too many movies where they jump off moving trucks and run to the nearest fire hydrant. They’re great men and women. No strikes against them. Just seems odd.

[@WitchidWitchid]

Rest assured, there is good reason dor rhe way they do it.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@WitchidWitchid That's the problem with US FD. You will see European FD hit the fire hard with water far quicker. They reduce the heat, prevent spread, and make an internal attack much easier. The US FD are too busy letting the sirens wail 1 minute after they arrived and standing around posing.

[@WitchidWitchid]

@@PreservationEnthusiast Nonsense.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@WitchidWitchid Just watch the videos and you'll see it. If you're blind to the action, that's your problem though.

[@WitchidWitchid]

@@PreservationEnthusiast US firemen don;t show up to a fire to pose. You are making a general sweeping statement with false assumptions.

[@leightongalleries6057]

I thought Houston had many more resources than displayed here.

[@nebraskaninkansas347]

That is one hot fire. At 2:29 mark parts of that roof are glowing hot.

[@mconley12345]

Impressive operation!

[@dalerider3124]

Firemen NEVER seem to move quickly to connect hoses and get the water flowing. It's as though they have decided it's going to be a total loss and they don't care what the loss is to the owners of a house or the congregation of a church..

[@nebraskaninkansas347]

Life safety or getting people out of the building became their priority first.

[@elvisbest3213]

Tower 6 is getting it done dang beating it down

[@pinacoloda226]

OMG those flames!! That fire looked so surreal!! WOWZERS!!

[@Killbayne]

you know it's bad when even the cameraman has to put the camera down to do something.

[@FotograafMWB]

To aim a watercanon is more difficult than you think :)

[@johnwrigley1624]

And it's a Blitzfire........

[@JB91710]

Not a Deck Gun at point blank range!

[@robertyoung3992]

@@johnwrigley1624 in some FD's its known as a Master Stream

[@johnbratley6926]

That was a pretty half assed response what about the building at 90 degrees that was burning also ? Was it arson ? the firefighters don't appear to be overly bothered.

[@siennavaldez823]

It wand the arson, it was a elicictrical fire

[@mondaymorningquarterback5477]

Does a brick building burn; you bet it does!

[@JDSWeather]

Jim Carrell you are correct and if the fire is intense & hot enough it can cause significant structural problems as it'll weaken the mortar or completely vaporize the mortar and the bricks or stones used will become very brittle

[@retiredarthritic2083]

What was burning in the Joelma building fire in Sao Paulo Brazil. The furniture, the paint, the trim, and the concrete was damaged by the entrapped air expanding and the resultant spalling that occurred. If it is porous it has trapped air pockets this will cause cracking and chips popping off the porous mineral building material weakening it.

[@Kusunoky]

Gladly this is stone i think. If it was wood then already will be burned down with the rest of the building

[@boomertuxx]

The inside burns.

[@k.s.333]

8:02 - you can't tell me smashing the windows and threading the hose through didn't cross someone's mind that day...

[@ellwoodops4012]

I would have

[@trrt1880]

这消防队员， 就是一群僵尸。

[@tylertravaglio8877]

Tempting, but no point. Only reason they'd do that is if they were in a fire lane/parking area.

[@leightongalleries6057]

Completely unnecessary, unless you are an ass

[@nebraskaninkansas347]

They only do that if they have no choice in order to keep the hose from kinking

[@smoothfags20]

Is this what`s called ` Holy Smoke ` ?

[@v.dargain1678]

No . It's more like your blessing just went up in smoke .

[@smoothfags20]

V. Dargain These Buildings lie empty most of the year, taking up valuable land, land that can be developed into low cost quality housing which better serves the community than old, cold buildings. In Britain a lot of them have either been pulled down or, converted into luxury flats or, turned into Clubs or, other venues. Most people don’t even bother going to Church nowadays, myself included. Why bother sitting in a cold draughty building listening to a boring old fart dressed up in a colourful frock lecturing to the rest of us about life when they in turn are abusing kids.

[@douggriffin2910]

Nice job by Tower 6.....could've used another tower and portable deck gun.

[@heidig22]

Wonder what can burn like that in church build with stone.

[@TheWpafirephotograph]

Nice tower 🚒

[@mightymaligator8802]

Tower 6 is doing more demo that fire fighting....wth

[@ffjsb]

Yeah, cause all they had to do is repaint the building when they were done... SMH....

[@ffjsb]

Yeah, cause all they had to do was repaint when they were done.... SMH.

[@amtraktraveler9118]

Holy Cow!! No Pun Intended.

[@avontaprice8728]

What caused this church 🔥& was anybody inside the church before it caught 🔥 if yes did everybody make it out safely before the church caught 🔥?????🤔🤔🤔🤔🤨🤨🤨🤨

[@stephens2755]

Hope the building site been saved !😂😂😂

[@549BR]

God works in mysterious ways.

[@jwslijm7278]

I wanted to see that they rebuilt the church, but the image on Google Streetview is 2 months before the fire.

[@JB91710]

0:33 America's fixation with their Hose! This is how you do it America! An Engine with a full load of water lays in the hydrant line and stops in front of those windows. The driver gets out and activates the pump. The third FFer blasts each window with 5 seconds of water and within ONE MINUTE, the fire in those rooms is out and extension has been stopped. Three firefighters, one engine and one minute and they have done their JOB of "Stopping the threat quickly and safely while using the least amount of water." This fire was supervised by an incompetent human.

[@JasmineLindros]

Are you still embarrassing yourself with your ignorant BS, JB? You've been slapped silly so many times, by so many people who actually know what they're talking about, that your continued dedication to proving your stupidity is surprising.

[@ikonix360]

Since you know so well how to do the job why don't you be a firefighter

[@JB91710]

@@JasmineLindros Not once in 12 years has anybody told me where and how I was wrong. Least of all you. The one with the biggest mouth with absolutely Nothing to offer. Notice how you had nothing to say about the subject at hand, firefigfhting? Why didn't you tell me line by line how I was wrong? Are you incapable of discussing something as SIMPLE as firefighting? All you can do is make childish comments? Does this mean anything to you? "This channel doesn't have any content" You are a waste of life!

[@JB91710]

@@ikonix360 How has Guessing you way through life worked for you?

[@craigneyman4279]

How could you be meaning a master stream with no gear on whatsoever

[@aissaoui3arbi611]

s

[@Sea-cucumber1151]

Look at that beautiful copper roof, took the patina right off…

[@kat8838]

Seems it started in that upstairs so it can rule out arson.Makes you wonder who was living there and if it's another case of an overcharged cell phone exploding.

[@siennavaldez823]

No one lives there, it is a church. It was a electrical fire.

[@BeytekinConstructionMachinery]

Oh, that's sad!

[@humanbeing2144]

Another pediagog without God bites the dust.

[@budclopton1106]

Must have been an awesome sermon!!✝️

[@mortgagewizard40]

I am not a religious person, but to see ant old building burn is very sad ,and like most buildings of that age, i am guessing the inside is a high percentage of wood,ie beams etc. From what was an initially slow start, the firefighters did damned well..

[@JosephNordenbrockartistraction]

Me too. I'm not religious either and I agree there are less hazardous ways to burn a large number of bibles. Finally torching all my stolen bibles is on my bucket list. If you find one in your rented night stand or dresser, take the dam thing with you. They're nearly always in brand new condition.

[@danieldarabos3238]

Slow Response 🐌

[@markloren2133]

awesome firefighting, Burned like heart pine, hard to put out.

[@martinjeffery2675]

Oh well just a building, mean looking flames

[@anncain2432]

Great job by HFD!

[@jonydepp9484]

Holy moly smoke

[@P4hs]

I wouldn't be surprised if St. Mark himself had something to do with it.

[@darrylking2500]

That Tower is A Bad Boy Need other Stream or Fog tip coming off the Bucket For Extra Flow..

[@rodolfolopez8679]

The Gay flag......

[@ardsonneveld]

Houston we have a problem

[@chubbychubbs5552]

This happens to many churches and cathedrals in France…..and I mean many….🤔

[@sirrichardpumpaloaf8154]

And we all know who starts them!!

[@benjaminkeith8392]

@@sirrichardpumpaloaf8154 arsonists

[@hillbilly4555]

Wow rocks burn quick.

[@MichealPorter]

water on, water off, knock down the flames, move on, turn the water off.....

[@suzylarry1]

sad to see

[@dottieocaspianhorsesrock3643]

John Yes a beautiful church.

[@markmullin4246]

Geez what the hell is the camera guy doing with the lightning? First its dark, then it's light?

[@11ghudson]

Ruy Lozano should go back to riding on the ambulance

[@OWER_TIME324]

Да блин! Из чего эта крыша сделана что так палает?😳

[@brucebeamon5460]

Did they ever discover the cause ? I DID NOTICE the rainbow flag draped on that fence on I s property !

[@reginaldmartin639]

ladder is scared to go higher than 3 stories.

[@ffjsb]

You CLEARLY know NOTHING about firefighting. if they go above the roof, they can't hit the burning rafters from underneath. The metal roof will continue to shed water until it comes off.

[@glennhuber4975]

Reginald Martin and your ass is afraid to post a good comment.

[@Rickyrab]

Houston, you've got a problem 🤣

[@wesleymay602]

Looks like the majority of the church was saved

[@NITUKUMARI-jf1bb]

How sad

[@meljenkins1016]

Any firefighters out there know what the PSI on the water coming out off that cherry picker?

[@canadianphil421]

Tower ladder runs solid bore nozzle most of the time it’s been a long time since I ran a pump panel psi would be about 900

[@ronbradley5631]

I still don’t understand why they don’t use deck guns. That first due in engine could’ve used the deck gun a lot quicker than using that 2 1/2 at first.

[@46fd04]

Because a lot of Fire Depts do not have Deck Guns installed on their Engines.

[@ronbradley5631]

TFSFireman this is the Houston Fire Department. One of those first due engines had a deck gun.

[@joketime5995]

This is where the criminals hide!

[@ingussilins6330]

LGBT flag and church turns to fire.... hell fire.

[@scottwinne4330]

Big city fire departments go into defense attack.back in my day aggressive attack was common SOP. A 2 1/2 preconnect 13/4 line backup. knocking down hot spots and pike poles pulling down the ceiling checking for extention.

[@justanotherguy1110]

If you actually watched the video, you would notice that the asst chief said at the end, they had to evacuate crews from the building and then went with the ladder pipe knockdown before sending crews back in to mop it up.

[@MichealPorter]

a lot of shoot the wall club here....

[@daro2262]

That fire there is some real Holly smoke

[@heli-crewhgs5285]

Wow! You can make idiotic jokes and mis-spell too! What a talent!

[@suecurtis8313]

put it out sue!

[@reecherdbrown8156]

These comments are a trippppp

[@nicholasdoura4371]

Nice bucket work

[@heatley1]

Super fast execution

[@williansribeiro6564]

Willians

[@user-qc6jc5bc2l]

Very very Good job god hete idolatry Abraham was aginst idolatry moses was aginst idolatry all the Bible aginst idolatry

[@hillbilly4555]

Great job attacking the fire from the outside

[@vanessahuman7607]

I thought Houston was flooded

[@VinceScaglione]

Cancel Christmas!

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Such a loss, so many memories. I hope they have insurance. It will be interesting to hear about follow-up investigation as to how the fire started. God bless this congregation. There have certainly been times in my life that my friends from church helped me through challenging times. I pray these people find strength and comfort in their community and faith. _Never realized the stream could by itself knock masonry loose like that._ I was married to a firefighter, but I never went along with her on calls!

[@philsumner4693]

Such a loss, so many memories. I hope they have insurance. It will be interesting to hear about follow-up investigation as to how the fire started.

[@unknownhumanbeing4853]

They should've burn the flag

[@user-ht8pb1uk5q]

이것은 미국휴스턴 어느교회화재 진압이네 세계 각국의 소방진화작업을 많이 보았는데 ! 소화장비는 미국이 최고! 소방수 훈련은 40점 정도일가? 소방수 들의 사고는 하는 느낌! 사명감이 없어요! 훈련점 시키오! 미국 소방당국! 다 타버린후에 소방작업은 왜 해?

[@christoph_978]

in other countries, videos of onlookers are strongly condemned.