400 firefighters battled a five-alarm fire caused by a lightning strike at a church

A lightning strike sparked a fire that heavily damaged the roof of a southern New Jersey church Friday night, prompting one of the region’s largest recent emergency responses as nearly 400 firefighters worked for hours to contain the blaze.

The fire broke out shortly after 9 p.m. at Fellowship Alliance Chapel’s Worship Center on Church Road in Medford as severe thunderstorms swept through the area. Arriving firefighters encountered flames and heavy smoke pouring from the roof.

Medford is a picturesque township in Burlington County, New Jersey, located about 20 miles east of Philadelphia.

Church officials said in a social media post that lightning struck the building, triggering the fire. Nearly 400 first responders from five counties, supported by 70 pieces of equipment, including ladder trucks and tankers, responded to the scene.

Officials said firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading beyond a section of the roof above an area known as the Treehouse, keeping the fire from reaching the building’s interior. Even so, the structure sustained extensive smoke and water damage.

The church was unoccupied when the fire began, and no civilians were injured.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries while working in extreme heat, and another was treated at the scene for an elevated heart rate but was not hospitalized.

Authorities said Saturday that a preliminary investigation determined the fire was caused by a lightning strike during the previous night’s storms.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming response of emergency crews and fire departments from around the region (five different counties!),” church officials said in a statement. “Thanks to the efforts of almost 400 personnel and 70 pieces of equipment, the fire damage in our Worship Center was contained to a section of the roof. It never infiltrated the building.”

Church officials said remediation has already begun but warned that the Worship Center remains unsafe because of falling debris and the need for comprehensive structural inspections.

Until repairs are completed, Sunday worship services will be held at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Center, the church’s former sanctuary.