Excerpt from abc7chicago.com:

A decades-old church that has spent generations in West Englewood is now just mounds of burned debris after a devastating fire tore through the church Saturday morning.

The fire quickly tore through the Universal Temple of Christ and Training School on Damen and 56th Street in West Englewood.

The battle to stop the fire became intense at times, forcing flames out the front and back doors.

Luckily, no one was inside when the flames broke out, however, a Chicago firefighter was hurt while battling the blaze. That firefighter was taken to the hospital and has since been released.

While Chicago fire officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the church’s Pastor believes this was an intentionally ignited inferno, happening just as the church was planning to expand.

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