A lightning strike is blamed for destroying a Wilson County church during severe weather Thursday afternoon.
Neighbors said a fire started in the steeple of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church in Lucama, causing the roof to collapse.
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The fire took place on Springfield School Road, where several bystanders saw smoke and flames coming from the building.
Firefighters needed to break through the stained-glass windows in the sanctuary to enter the building.
It took over an hour and involved eight different departments to bring the fire under control, with more than a dozen fire trucks on site.
Church members arrived promptly and managed to salvage as much furniture as possible.
"The lightning hit the steeple, [and] the steeple caught on fire," Courtney Barfield, a neighbor, described. "The flames just kept coming up. The steeple fell and once the steeple fell the fire just kept coming up. All we can do is pray, because there is not very much we can do. We are just very fortunate and very blessed no one was inside at the time."
The building has been declared a total loss. Members of the church told WRAL News they plan to rebuild, and they're just glad no one was injured.
Church leaders said a plan is in place to have services on Sunday because they will hold a memorial service for one of their member's fathers, who recently passed away.
WRAL News was told that this is a close-knit community.