'It's like losing family home'; Parishioners vow to rebuild fire-ravaged historic Oakland Black church

OAKLAND -- As they gathered for a prayer service Monday night, the parishioners of Oakland's fire-ravaged historic First African Methodist Episcopal Church vowed to rebuild their home of worship from the ashes left behind.

A 3-alarm fire roared to life after shortly midnight on Monday in the attic of the oldest Black church in Oakland.

The flames spread quickly and became so intense firefighters were forced to battle the blaze defensively using three ladder pipes and crews on the ground to put water onto the roof and interior of the building.

More than 5 hours later, the flames were contained but the damage was extensive. Firefighters still were searching for the cause on Tuesday.

"It's just devastating," Pastor Rodney Smith told KPIX. "Not only for the parishioners, but for the city. We have served and educated the community longer than anybody. This is going to be a big loss."  

For Michelle Milam, the blaze damaged a place of safety and warm. 

"It felt like a sense of grief," she told KPIX. "This church is where our grandparents came, our parents came. It was a refuge,  place where you get an education. A place where we come together. It's like losing a family home."

Milam was among who gathered for a prayer service held a sister church across town Monday night.

"I felt a deep sense of connectedness; that we were all coming together for a common purpose," she said. "It's really hard to describe it other than to say it felt like we were standing as one."  

Steve Kirkendoll was also felling a sense of loss.

"We are grew up with FAME (First African Methodist Episcopal)," he said. "For us not to have a church home because of a fire -- it was hard to hear this morning."

Rev. Smith, who stood in the predawn darkness to watch the firefight, was still shaken hours later.

"Right now, we are a church that is grieving," he said. "What we need are prayers."

Kirkendoll promised the church would arise from the ashes.

"We'll make it," he said. "It's going to take a while...We'll get it back and we'll sing Hallelujah when we are marching back in."

The church was started in 1858 by a small group of residents. In 1863, they purchased the former schoolhouse which had been constructed by Horace Carpentier. The church moved to its present location at 37th and Telegraph in 1954, and became First African Methodist Episcopal Church.