Here's what we know about eleven-alarm blaze at large South Jersey church

The latest:Why firefighters could not save the huge South Jersey church destroyed by fire

FLORENCE - The pastor of a church devastated by an eleven-alarm fire has vowed to rebuild.

“The church is really the body of believers and not the building," said Pastor Russ Hodgins at Fountain of Life Center.

Church members were expected to worship Sunday at a building that survived the fire. Additional details about plans for the site, which includes a school that's closed this week, were not immediately available.

Firefighters began battling the massive blaze at the Columbus Road complex around 6 p.m. Monday, arriving to face a worsening conflagration.

The call came in from a passerby, according to a supervisor with the Burlington County Communications Center.

Hodgins said the principal of the school at the complex notified him of the fire around 6 p.m. She was still at the building and noticed smoke coming out of the roof of the sanctuary near the cross, he explained.

Flames could be seen shooting out of the roof of the building around 7:30 p.m. as emergency personnel continued to work the scene and fight the fire.

The fire eventually grew to eight alarms with mutual aid provided by fire departments in Camden and Atlantic counties.

Around 9 p.m., crews were spraying water on a hallway that connects the main church building with a school to prevent the fire spreading into that building. The exterior walls were fully involved and flames had consumed most of the interior. The roof had already collapsed, leaving only twisted, torched metal.

Portable ponds were set up near the parking lot to provide firefighters with more water to douse the flames.

Dozens of emergency vehicles were on scene, with lights flashing beneath smoke-filed skies. A crowd of at least 100 people gathered at the scene to see what was unfolding.

Lisa DeLucia, of Florence, came to the parking lot to check on the church. She had wanted to be married there last fall, but the building was already booked, she said, describing herself as devastated by the destruction.

There is no word yet on the cause of the blaze or whether there have been any injuries reported.

Hodgins said Monday evening parishioners would meet Tuesday to discuss the next steps.

Members of the Florence church and other congregations reacted to the blaze with Facebook posts that were both sorrowful and optimistic.

"Our church Fountain of Life Center Family is devastated, but we know that our God is on the scene ready to make beauty from the ashes," posted Rebecca Gonzalez-Nazario.

"Nothing is lost in the hands of God He will restore and make new!"

Scott Ray Carver Sr. of New Brunswick asked for prayers for the Fountain of Life family.

"And thank you God that no one was hurt." he said.

"This won't stop us, we will keep giving God the glory!!"

The Assemblies of God church on Columbus Road opened in 1974 and has more than 1,000 members. The multi-building campus includes a large church, a prekindergarten through 12th-grade school and a family life center.

A resolution from the township's planning board in 2019 noted the presence of a gym and a solar array at a 106-acre site.

Staff writers Jim Walsh and Carol Comegno contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Fountain of Life Center church fire in Florence NJ: What we know