'The fire didn't pass through': Bethany church spared in strip mall fire

Attendees of a Bethany church inside a strip mall told News 4 Monday they're thankful a fire won't have much of an impact on their services.

BETHANY, Okla. (KFOR) — Attendees of a Bethany church inside a strip mall told News 4 Monday they're thankful a fire won't have much of an impact on their services.

Firefighters responded to a fire at the strip mall near NW 23rd Street and N Rockwell Avenue in Bethany on Monday afternoon.

"We were at a medical call down the street about 27th and Rockwell. So are response was two to three minutes down here," said Battalion Chief Billy Greenwood with the Bethany Fire Department.

McIntyre Law Chopper 4 was on the scene just after 4:00 p.m. on Monday as crews battled the blaze. Greenwood said crews' close proximity to the call allowed it to be knocked down fairly quickly.

Greenwood said there were no injuries to any civilians or firefighters, but one unit involved is a near total loss.

Meylin Arriola attends Iglesia De Dios Pentecostés Nueva Jerusalem Internacional and said she was thankful their church, a few units involved from the unit that burned, wasn't severely impacted.

"I wasn't really scared that our church was burned up," said Arriola. "I had my faith that it didn't burn up."

Arriola said she and other church members were told utilities at their church and neighboring units would have to be temporarily shut down while crews make sure everything is safe.

Arriola said she was unsure how long that could take, but said things weren't nearly as bad as they could have been.

"Everything’s in tact, the fire didn’t pass through," said Arriola.

The Bethany Fire Department said the cause of the fire and where it started have not been determined at this point.