Fire badly damages church in Blaine, Minn.

Fire badly damaged a church in Blaine Tuesday night. No one was hurt and the Oak Park Community Church was empty at the time.

Pastor DelRoy Johnson said the fire apparently started in the foyer of the congregation's original church, built in 1978. A passerby saw flames coming out of the church and called 911.

Johnson said firefighters had to break into the building to fight the blaze, and that there was no initial indication of foul play involved.

Johnson said the fire badly damaged the foyer and sanctuary. He said his congregation of about 250 people now worships in a church next door, built in 2002. The original church was still used for informal gatherings and Sunday school classes.

"So the ministry will go on. That's for sure," Johnson said. "And we don't know yet just exactly whether the old church can be repaired or not. It may take some time to determine that."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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