Historic El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church destroyed by fire, looks to rebuild

Historic El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church destroyed by fire, looks to rebuild

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, flames tore through El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, reducing the historic Black church to charred remains and leaving its small but deeply connected congregation without a physical home. Fire crews from West Orange, Orange County ESD, ESD 2 and ESD 3 responded around 12:30 a.m. after reports of smoke pouring from the building. By the time firefighters arrived, heavy plumes were already billowing throug…