VIDEO: A church in Scott City, Missouri was on fire on Friday, June 21.
According to the pastor of Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, he believes lightning may have struck a utility pole which sparked and started the fire.
No one was at the church at the time. The pastor said a youth group meeting had just left before the fire.
He said the storm came through around 4:30 p.m.
A First Alert Action Day was declared for Friday due to severe storms and damaging winds. According to fire crews, they needed the steeple to fall backward to keep it from hitting the power lines.
Ameren had not been able to get to the scene to shut off power to the area, so the lines were still live. According to a deputy chief, firefighters were inside the church when the roof collapsed. There were being checked out by EMS.