Members Survey Damage Day After Burning Inferno Consumes Mormon Church

GLASSELL PARK (CBSLA.com) — A day after a massive fire consumed a Mormon church in Glassell Park, members were surveying the damage.

CBS2 got an up-close look at the damage inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Fletcher Drive Wednesday evening.

As a result of the burning inferno, the chapel inside the church was barely recognizable, and piles of burnt rubble were visible.

The blaze caused the church's ceiling to collapse, and furniture and holy items to be destroyed.

"It's pretty amazing how life can happen in this way and things can change," Gigi Littlefield, a church member, said.

Members of the church said Tuesday's fire left more than $3 million in damage to the 24-year-old building.

Fire officials say flames from a nearby brush fire along the 2 Freeway leaped onto the eaves and spread into the attic.

Roughly 200 firefighters fought the blaze, many of them forced to scramble when the roof suddenly gave way.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

"Everybody is very, very sad," Roland Avila, a church member, said.

Avila says right now it is unclear where the church's roughly 1,000 members will go for services. He says they are taking comfort knowing the flames spared many sacred paintings.

"We were so glad to get this building and now it's all gutted and probably we will have to rebuild again," he said.

Fire officials say the cause of the brush fire remains undetermined. The church plans to meet Thursday to discuss where members will go.