A fire damaged a church in the New Castle area Sunday.
The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office said a few parishioners were inside the Coleman Memorial United Methodist Church on the 400 block of Anderson Avenue in the Dunleith subdivision when the fire broke out at 4 p.m. Sunday, February 9, 2020.
Everyone got out safely, investigators said.
Wayne Portlock, 71, grew up going to this church. His grandmother first brought him there in 1958. Portlock said they had just wrapped up meetings after service when one member smelled smoke.
"I couldn't believe it because I had just left the church, I was stunned," he said. "When I got here, fire engines were everywhere...I could not sleep last night, it was very emotional to walk up and see that kind of activity happening at your church--something you've been attached to for so many years--it's emotional."
He said it appears the fire started in an electrical box in the backside of the church with fire spreading into the rafters. The fire caused an estimated $300,000 in damage.