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Fire damages Somerset church; Pastor 'thankful no lives lost'

Pastor Minga Rangel said investigators told her the fire may have been caused by lightning from Friday night storms.

SAN ANTONIO — Church members of Somerset 'God Restores' are left with a mess - and a major setback. A fire damaged part of the church.  Pastor Minga Rangel helped start the church 15 years ago. 

"I am just thankful there was no life lost," she said. 

On Sunday, the service was cut in half. Behind the sanctuary is the major damage of the fire, it is mostly in the kitchen. Pastor Rangel discovered the mess on Saturday. 

"We smelled that like something was burning," she said. 

Rangel said investigators told her the fire may have been caused by lightning from Friday night storms. The small church in Somerset is left with a huge setback. The kitchen they use for the kids, every Sunday, is now off-limits.

"Today, not being able to serve their lunch bags, it was sad," Rangel said. "Because they expect it every Sunday."

The children's classroom's also full of smoke damage. Now, they need help cleaning up the mess and raising money to restore. 

Credit: Fidel Rangel

"Everything we go through is a lesson learned," she said. "And we learn that when these things happen, we are more united than ever."

Pastor Rangel said most of the families that go to the church are on a fixed income. The church has set up a GoFundMe page. If you would like to help, click here.

The church is not only looking for monetary donations but for volunteers to help clean the mess. 

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