ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Anderson County Sheriff's Office responded to a fire at Cumberland Mountain Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday around 9:15 p.m. The Briceville Volunteer Fire Department was also dispatched.
The church is located on Vowell Mountain Road in a heavily wooded area. Jamie Brewster, the fire department's chief, said the forestry department moved trees to prevent a forest fire.
Also known as the Swag Church, it's been around for generations. Cara Hoffner raised her three children there.
"It's a different type of environment from what I was used to going to church as a kid. So, I'm thankful that my kids got to grow up in a church like that," Hoffner said.
She now lives in Sevierville but said she was devasted to hear the church burned down.
"It's just really sad to think about the memories that you've had up there. I mean, I was saved up at that church," she said.
Others helped rebuild the church when it reopened years ago. Jesse Bridges and his family were involved in the process.
"We used to have services in a trailer in our front yard while we were working on getting the road ready for us to be able to get around to the swag church," Bridges said.
He hasn't attended the church for a while but said he still remembers how important it was to him, his family and the community.
"We spent countless hours fixing that road, remodeling the church. I remember being just a kid putting up the metal siding and putting in the insulation for it. All that hard work. All the memories just kind of turned into metal and ash," he said.
The sheriff's office said their criminal investigation unit is working to determine if the fire was accidental or intentional.