The helicopter from our sister station in Baltimore, WJZ-TV, was over the church fire at 800 West Saratoga as the burning steeple came crashing down. You can see that video here. Baltimore City Fire Chief William Goodwin said that 3 firefighters suffered relatively minor injuries.
The 50-year old building of the First Mount Olive Freewill Baptist Church is a landmark in West Baltimore. To see what the church looked like before the fire, you can find the church website here.
Fire officials say the steeple apparently was hit by lightning as thunderstorms rolled through the area around 3:00 p.m.