Emergency workers gather at Franklinville United Methodist Church. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)
FRANKLINVILLE – A side of Franklinville United Methodist Church collapsed Thursday night, with one wall blown out.
There were no injuries and no one was in the building at the time of the incident, according to emergency workers on the scene.
The cause of the collapse is unclear and there were a couple of early theories. One, it has been linked to a wall collapse of the brick structure without other factors. The other possible cause was a gas explosion.
An initial call to the Franklinville Volunteer Fire Department came in as a commercial fire. When department members arrived, they reported a partial collapse of the structure from a gas explosion.
Church officials said it was just a wall collapse.
A witness nearby said it sounded like two trucks hitting each other. Deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office deputes just up the road reported that they didn’t hear anything from the site.
Part of North Main Street was closed.
The church dates to the late 18th century.
