A blaze has razed a Texas church to the ground - but a cross is still standing amid the debris.
The Balsora Baptist Church in Wise County was engulfed by a huge fire on Friday (17 June) afternoon, and the roof collapsed on fire fighters as they were inside the building, with several receiving treatment from emergency services at the scene.
Unfortunately, most of the church - which is more than 100 years old - was completely destroyed; however, a symbol of hope was spotted among all the destruction.
Advert
A remarkable photo shared by Wise County Emergency Services Department No. 2 shows a cross standing tall amid the rubble and the smoke.
Sharing the striking image on Facebook, the department said: "A devastating loss to our community, but a sight to behold.
"The fire took the structure, but not the cross. A symbol that the building was just that, a building.
Advert
"The Church is the congregation, and where two or more gather, there he shall be also."
The post continued: "A huge thank you to mutual aid, once again. Extreme temperatures are beyond taxing to resources and manpower in events like these.
"Churches also pose an inherent danger related to the great span of the sanctuaries and great halls, which makes them very prone to collapse. The sanctuary roof did begin collapse while FFs were in the building, several FFs were seen/treated by Wise County EMS on scene."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but - unsurprisingly - the church is in no doubt about why the cross is still standing.
Advert
According to FOX 4, Pastor Sonny Smith said: "To me that was a sign from God saying, 'Don't worry, I'm still here and I'm going to lead you forward.'"
He added: "God is good. In the good times and in the bad times you can always depend on him."
In the wake of the fire, the congregation held a service outside by the remains of the building, to 'shed some tears together over what was, but also create some excitement for what God plans for us in the future'.
Advert
In a Facebook post, Balsora Baptist Church said: "The Cross that held our prayer request in the sanctuary, was still standing!
"We praise God that He still answers prayers. We look forward to all He's going to do at Balsora Baptist!!!"
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Jake Massey