Fire Damages Illinois Church, Lightning Blamed

A fire that may have been caused by a lightning strike has caused about $1 million worth of damage to a church in Danville, Ill.

Larry Thomason is the public safety director in the town along the Illinois-Indiana state line.

Thomason tells The News-Gazette in Champaign that someone driving by before dawn Saturday reported flames burning through the roof of the Ridgeview Baptist Church. Strong storms passed through the area late Friday and early Saturday

Thomason says the damage doesn’t look too bad from the outside. But he says the interior is badly damaged.

No one was in the church, and no injuries were reported.

The congregation was planning to hold services Sunday in an outdoor pavilion but isn’t sure yet what it will do in the weeks ahead.