LODI – An early morning fire at a strip mall destroyed a church Easter Sunday.
Firefighters responded to the business complex near North Cherokee Lane and Pioneer Drive at about 5:00am. Arriving crews encountered fire conditions in the attic of the building. The complex housed the El-Shaddai Church of God in Christ.
A second and third alarm call for additional firefighters was made, bringing crews from county fire agencies and the City of Stockton. Fire tore through most of the building, eventually causing it to collapse.
By Sunday afternoon, firefighters were still at the scene investigating, but a cause and origin had yet to be determined.
