Montgomery County church damaged after two-alarm fire burns for about 4 hours overnight

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A Montgomery County church is severely damaged after a two-alarm fire overnight. 

Spencerville Seventh-Day Adventist Church on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring caught on fire just after 1 a.m. Friday morning, setting off an automatic fire alarm. Seventy-five firefighters were dispatched to the scene, where they found smoke and high heat conditions. The fire vented through the roof.  It was put out at around 5:30 a.m.

No one was injured in the fire, but the fire did cause major damage to the church. 

Officials do not know what started the fire. It is under investigation, but Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said it is likely not weather related. 

One of the church’s pastors, Jason Lombard posted to Facebook to inform the community of the fire. 

“In times like these, we’re reminded that the church is a community of people, not a building,” Lombard wrote in the post. 

Lombard also is asking church community members to avoid coming to the church property because it is not safe yet and the fire department needs to do assessments before allowing anyone inside.