Fire destroys church addition under construction in Pittsburg

A fire Friday morning destroyed a new sanctuary under construction at a Pittsburg church, while also damaging part of its existing kitchen.

The blaze, which erupted shortly before 7 a.m., destroyed an addition to the St. James Cathedral of Faith, which had been under construction since before the pandemic took hold in early 2020 and was more than halfway complete, according to David Diouf, youth pastor at the church.

The fire also caused about $100,000 in damage to the existing structure, mainly in the kitchen area, said Capt. Tracie Dutter of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, Dutter said. No one was injured, and firefighters did not find anyone at the scene when they arrived, she said.

The fire marked the latest, and most difficult, turn for the church in its bid to expand into a new sanctuary honoring its former pastor, the Rev. James Langston, who died a few years ago.

The new addition had been broken into at least 10 times by homeless people seeking to sleep inside the partially constructed building, Diouf said. An encampment sprouted on vacant land behind the building, and church members have had to repeatedly board up the new sanctuary after people were found living inside it.

“Anytime they get removed, they’re back,” Diouf said. “It’s very cumbersome for a church of our size to have to hire security to secure the church and keep people off.”

Construction costs for the project have run at least $1.5 million so far, Diouf said.

Despite the fire, Langston’s widow, pastor Maria Gardner Langston, said the church plans to hold its upcoming service in the parking lot — much as it did earlier in the pandemic.

“These are the times you’ve got to live up to what you preach,” she said.