PRECIOUS FAITH TEMPLE CHURCH FIRE, LAKE WORTH, TEXAS

The morning of February 15, 1999, dawned as a beautiful winter morning in north-central Texas. The skies were clear, and the temperature climbed into the mid-60s by noon in the small city of Lake Worth, Texas. Two career Ft. Worth, Texas, firefighters were off-duty that day. Both volunteered for the River Oaks Volunteer Fire Department. Across town, another volunteer firefighter from Samson Park was also starting his day. Before noon, these three would make the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duties to their respective cities; four others would be injured, and the communities in the area would be torn apart.

宝贵的信仰圣殿教堂建于三间e sections. The first section was built in the 1960s and was used as a bar. It was built on the ground level and had concrete block wall construction with prefabricated wood trusses for the roof assembly. This section of the church was the only section that had a brick facade on the front. The second section was built in 1978-1979. It was also constructed with an exterior of concrete block; it was two feet below the level of the first section. The walls were filled with sand to act as insulation and did not have any reinforcing components in them. They were load-bearing walls (no window or door openings in them). The only openings to the outside were three doors: the front door, the second door on the B side of the building, and the third door on the D side. Inside the sanctuary was a three-foot decorative wall around the pulpit area for the choir. The roof assembly was made of scissor trusses, giving the sanctuary the look and feel of a bigger room. This roof assembly was attached to the first set of roof trusses (photo 1).

A fellowship hall was added in 1981. This structure was on the same level as the sanctuary and was again made with the same concrete block walls. The roof in this area was of truss design and attached to the rest of the structure. At the rear of the sanctuary and at the end of the fellowship hall, the gables were covered with wood siding. There were openings in the attic area to allow the utilities and the heating and air-conditioning ducts to service all areas of the church. The church was constructed by the membership; the pastor said all codes and ordinances were adhered to at the time of construction.