Chateaubelair SDA suffers fire damage

Quick action by residents of Plan Village saved the Chateaubelair Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) building from being burnt to the ground last Saturday.

Teenager Rayshorn Charles was driving along Middle Street Plan Village around 4:30 a.m. when he saw the blaze. He reported it to neighbours who came with buckets and pails to put out the fire.{{more}}

The wooden building, which also houses the Bethel Pre School, was burnt in one corner from the ground up to the ceiling and about six feet across the top. The damage was minimal and no furniture or equipment was lost, but the members of the congregation are in shock.

Norma Marshall church elder and Pre-school Principal told SEARCHLIGHT that the church has been operating for 30 years in the building and the school for 20 years. “Thank God that we still have a place of worship”, she said.

The property is in dispute between the relatives of the deceased owners and the SDA Congregation which was allowed to use the building by the agent Carmen Cummings also deceased.

The cause of the fire is under investigation; a police spokesman told SEARCHLIGHT that three matchsticks were found at the scene.