McCAYSVILLE, Ga. – The First Baptist Church of McCaysville/Copperhill experienced a small fire Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 2.

According to Rev. Matthew McDaniel, pastor of First Baptist Church, a passerby noticed smoke coming from the building and contacted McDaniel. McDaniel then contacted a church deacon, who was near the church at the time and able to confirm the fire and call 911.

Gray smoke billows from the steeple of First Baptist Church of McCaysville/Copperhill during a small fire Tuesday.

Fannin County Fire and Rescue Chief Larry Thomas stated crews were dispatched to the church at 4:18 p.m. and arrived four minutes later. A total of twenty firefighters worked to extinguish and contain a fire that began in a storage room in the church’s balcony. Thomas stated the blaze resulted from boxes of Christmas decorations stacked against an embedded wall heater that was thought to be turned off at its power source. No injuries occurred as a result of the fire, Thomas added, and the area was cleared at 6:35 p.m.

“By the time I arrived, the Fannin County Fire Department was actively containing the fire, and it was contained to the small area,” Pastor McDaniel explained.

As smoke billowed from the base of the church’s steeple, Toccoa Avenue, just in front of the church, became a staging area for crews and engines from the Fannin County Fire Department working to extinguish the blaze as well as a number emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles. Ultimately, the McCaysville Police Department closed the street to traffic for close to two hours from the state-line intersection with Ocoee Street and Blue Ridge Drive to a point just past the church on Toccoa Avenue, creating headaches for motorists and truck drivers attempting to travel through the twin cities during rush hour.

Returning home Tuesday afternoon from youth camp, members of the First Baptist Church of
McCaysville/Copperhill youth department are stunned with news of a fire at the church.

Compounding the situation, four church vans transporting 45 members of the church’s youth department rolled back into town from a youth camp retreat just as the fire was taking place. The parking lot of the Hometown Foods IGA supermarket in McCaysville, about one block from the church, served as an impromptu unloading and pick-up area for the youth coming home from the retreat.

McDaniel stated he does not anticipate that the fire will affect regularly scheduled services this week and expects to be fully functional for activities and services to continue this Sunday.

According to the pastor, damage was minor and contained to the storage room located in the back of the balcony. Likely, the church will close the balcony to worshipers this Sunday and utilize only the lower sanctuary, McDaniel added.

Commenting on the fire, McDaniel said, “I would like to thank the Fannin County First Responders, Fire Department, and McCaysville City Police Department for doing a tremendous job in fighting the fire and keeping us all safe during the process. This is one of those things that you cannot control, so we will trust God to guide us through it, and remain thankful that no one was hurt and that the damage was minor. We closed out the night like every other night, knowing that God is Good!”

Speaking of the coordinated efforts of the Fannin County emergency personnel and the McCaysville Police Department, Chief Thomas said, “I appreciate the help we got from the McCaysville Police in closing the street to make it easier for the firefighters to do their job.”

Also, according to Thomas, the state division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be conducting a follow-up investigation of the fire on Wednesday afternoon; however, Thomas stated such investigations are simply procedural any time there is a church fire.