Days after the Outer Banks lost its only bowling alley, another favorite kids’ hangout burned to cinders on a late Wednesday night.

The Family Life Center behind the Ark International Church, at milepost 11.5 in Nags Head, caught fire around 8 p.m. on Oct. 3. The Center is now a sea of charred wood, a black crisp of what was a center for kids of all ages. On the outside, metal is peeling from the building, creating different shades of the cream-colored siding. Many Outer Banks residents are still in disbelief that the center, which has served many purposes over the years, is simply unsalvageable.

“I grew up in this church. I was four years old when my dad first started preaching there,” junior Danielle Compean, whose father serves as Pastor of the Hispanic congregation at the Ark, said. “Those Friday night skate nights (were) what I looked forward (to) all week. Playing hide and go seek with my best friend, Irene Chinchilla. There are endless amounts of memories (in) that building and it was where I started teaching kid’s ministry.”

The center has served many purposes over the years, from youth ministry to skate night, adult basketball leagues to wrestling clubs.

“This building was really important. It helped us minister to the community,” said freshman Jay Lewis, son of the Ark’s Lead Pastor. “We used it for dinners, skate night, and my mom held a women’s conference in there.”

For some youth, the loss was devastating, due to its occurrence a mere three days after the Nags Head Bowling Center closed unexpectedly.

“It’s really unfortunate that the fire ever happened. We have lost a lot this week; between the Bowling Alley and the Ark, we have lost our hangouts. I remember going there as a young child with my sister and her friends, (and) going there for a fundraiser when my classmate was really sick,” freshman Kelly Weisbecker said. “There have been a lot of memories there. Unless we write them down, chances are, we will forget. When the Ark’s center burned down, and the Bowling Alley closed, we lost bits of our childhood. I know that reminded me that we all have to grow up, that the world changes and that we have to stay ready for it.”

The fire was first reported to the Nags Head Fire Department at approximately 8:20 P.M., when an ambulance just so happened to be driving by on Highway 158 and a paramedic glanced over to see orange flames tracing the metal exterior. Units from all over Dare County responded; every station from Lower Currituck to Roanoke Island to Duck had trucks present. Dare County EMS, the Nags Head Police Department, and the Dare County Fire Marshal were also at the scene.

“It was an extremely hot fire consuming many combustible materials,” said Nags Head Fire Chief Kevin Zorc.

Due to the extreme heat, the first firefighters on the scene reported to have seen the outside metal of the building glowing red. When crews determined it was too dangerous to keep attacking the flames from inside the building, the call was made to pull out of the building and spray from the outside. After three hours, the fire was deemed under control. Despite all of the response to the fire, it took crews around 14 hours to officially extinguish all of the hot spots. Around six to seven hundred thousand gallons of water were used to stop the fire, according to Zorc.

“The fire got so bad, they stopped calling each other by unit name (over the scanner) and started calling each other by first name, which means it’s really bad,” said junior Harrison Gardner, a junior firefighter with the Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department.

No one was hurt in the fire, as no one was in the center at the time. The last people who left the Family Life Center left at around 6:30. Had it not been for a more accommodating schedule change, the building would have had numerous kids and adults inside.

“The building’s used every night. We used to do a midweek service for kids and youth, and things on Wednesday night, but when school started, we had just moved to Tuesday nights, so it was actually the first night nobody was here,” Lead Pastor Jim Lewis said. “Sometime when the fire had started we’d have been here.”

An initial shock reverberated throughout the Outer Banks. People then flooded the Ark Church with support and prayers.

“Smoke was coming out of the life center. At some point, there was nothing left to do,” Pastor Lewis said. “It was quite amazing, how many people stopped by, (people were) very supportive.”

Church members have remained hopeful for the future, now that there is an opportunity to rebuild and create an even better center.

“I couldn’t make it the night of (the fire but) my boyfriend had me on the phone while he was there. It’s a sad event but good things are sure to come out of it,” senior Stephanie Gilbertson said. “God always has a plan.”

There is still no known cause for the fire, as investigation is still under way.

“While we’re still under investigation, there’s nothing suspicious…we do believe it was accidental,” Zorc said.

The building’s whole structure will have to be torn down and rebuilt. The only thing currently holding up the roof is the rafters. With high hopes, the church plans to rebuild and reopen within a year and a half.

Said Pastor Lewis, “We’re just trying to get back out into the community that we’re very grateful for their support through this and just telling everyone we can: hold on, we’ll be back, and it’ll be good.”

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