Pomona church lost to fire that also burned hundreds of toys meant for giveaway

When Victory Outreach Church in Pomona went up in flames early Sunday morning, incinerating the church building along with more than 500 toys set to be given away later in the day, it didn’t take long for the spirit of Christmas to sweep through the community.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department sent 100 firefighters to fight the blaze and then to knock down walls, stamping out hot spots. But before the smoke had even cleared, fire officials hatched a plan to send two Search and Rescue trucks loaded with toys to the disaster site later in the day.

Fire crews battle the blaze at the Pomona church.

(OnScene.TV)

And after news of the disaster spread, all morning long, members of the community converged on the site with donated toys.

“We have to help save Christmas for this congregation,� said L.A. County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher-Berkoh. “We know the building isn’t the church. The church is in the hearts of these people and we’re here to help.�

The blaze ignited a little after 2 a.m., burning so fiercely in the building’s attic that firefighters had to retreat. No one was injured, but when the flames were finally out, the building was gone, along with 500 toys the congregation had painstakingly collected for children in need. “That is the horrible timing of this one,� Kelliher-Burkoh said.

Church members Chuck Ortega, left, and Mario Munoz gather toys Sunday for a giveaway later in the afternoon.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Officials at the L.A. County Fire department quickly decided they could help. The department, in conjunction with ABC7-TV, collects toys all season for the needy, storing them in a giant warehouse in Vernon before distributing them. As firefighters sent giant machines through the smoldering site to make it safe, officials back at headquarters made plans to dispatch two trucks’ worth of toys to the church by 5 p.m.

“We’re still going to do what we intended to do,� said Jose Montiel, a congregant who, along with his wife, Lourdes, helped organize the toy drive and signed up more than 600 needy families.

Meanwhile, all across Pomona and beyond, members of the community heard about the disaster and rushed to Victory Outreach to save the holiday for the church’s children.

Rubble was all that remained of Victory Outreach Church after Sunday’s early-morning fire.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Around 11 a.m., Steve Ybarra arrived at the scene of the disaster with a pickup truck stuffed with presents. Ybarra is a pastor of the nearby Abundant Living Family Church. His congregation held their toy drive a day earlier, he said, and had some leftover gifts. When he heard about the fire, he said, “it broke my heart.�

A few minutes later, another woman from the neighborhood, Carole Glass, walked up holding a toy to contribute — a stuffed dragon. “It’s more important to give to someone who really needs it,� she said.

Across the street from the burned church on Sunday, firefighters unload bags of newly donated toys to replace those that were lost.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Behind them stood the ruined church. At the spot where the door used to be, one element had survived: a small Christmas tree in a golden pot that somehow escaped the flames.