PHOTOS: A South Side church collapsed after catching fire on Thanksgiving Day. Flames rekindled at Renewal Life Church in Englewood Friday morning, sending crews back to put out the flames. A place that Pastor Jerico Brown once called home for his congregation is now being torn down after a massive fire ripped through Renewal Life Church starting around 2 p.m. on Thursday.
“Is it a good time to cry?” That was Pastor Jerico Brown’s reaction after seeing his church go up in flames. “Honestly, it hurts. You know, it hurts like hell to watch everything that you built. This is like a collaboration of 14 years of ministry, every location, everything we accumulated,” Brown said.
Englewood church fire
Chicago Fire Department crews battled a roaring 2-11 alarm fire at the church Thursday afternoon in the 5800 block of South Emerald Avenue. Firefighters spent hours putting out the fire, which at its peak sent smoke into the air that could be seen from more than a mile away. Winds pushed the smoke into the surrounding area.
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