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About 50 Firefighters Extinguish Church Fire
The blaze broke out shortly after 4 p.m. Friday.
Craig Fiegener, Alex Calder
A fire broke out Friday afternoon at the Galilee Baptist Church in the Crenshaw District. Crews managed to extinguish the blaze in about an hour, but the church was left badly damaged. Craig Fiegener and Alex Calder report from the Crenshaw District for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2012.
Fire broke out Friday afternoon at a church in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, east of Baldwin Hills, according to officials.
The fire broke out at about 4:18 p.m. at 4731 11th Avenue, near 48th Street, (map) at the Galilee Baptist Church.
By 4:40 p.m., crews were continued to battle the blaze, and LAFD's Erik Scott said firefighters were "getting good handle on Church fire."
Scott sent a media alert at 4:43 p.m. reporting that the fire had been knocked down, but aerial footage showed flames continuing to lap at the church's roof.
Shortly after 5 p.m., plumes of white smoke that billowed from what appeared to be the center building of the church had cleared.
Some 50 firefighters responded the scene, Scott said.
The church was empty when the fire broke out. No injuries were immediately reported.
Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze, Scott said.
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