Firefighters help save the season after church fire

POMONA, Calif. – Firefighters couldn’t save the church, but they were able to save Christmas for many of its congregants.

The Victory Outreach Church in Pomona went up in flames early Sunday morning in a fire that remains under investigation.

“The flames just began to run through the entire attic,” Pastor Robert Garcia told KTLA. “[Firefighters] had to pull out so nobody would get hurt, and they had to pretty much sit there and watch it burn for a couple of hours.”

No one was injured, but around 500 toys that were to be given to children as Christmas gifts Sunday night were destroyed, along with the 42-year-old building itself.

As news of the fire spread, community members started coming forward to donate toys. Then, Los Angeles County firefighters hatched a plan.

“When [we] found out that community members of this church were planning their Christmas parade and party along with their toy giveaway, and realized that those toys had been destroyed in the fire, we had to do something,” said L.A. County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher-Berkoh.

Through the fire department’s Spark of Love toy drive, crews loaded up two search and rescue vehicles and showed up late in the afternoon with 500 toys, big and small, to replace those that were lost.

Next to the rubble of their church, hundreds of smiling children picked out toys that evening, just as originally planned.

Undaunted by the fire, church members vowed Monday morning to rebuild their place of worship.

“Even though this happened … we still have joy because we know that bigger and better is going to come out of this,” Victory Outreach Pomona Administrator Monica Patron said.

The community, including Mayor Tim Sandoval, showed up to help however they could.

“Folks are out here [picking] up some of the trash. Just wanted to be helpful, [and] just wanted to be present,” Sandoval said.

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