BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A west Michigan church suffered major damage early Monday morning after fire broke out just before 4 a.m., destroying the gymnasium and causing extensive smoke and water damage throughout the building.

A passerby spotted the flames and called 911 at 3:41 a.m. Byron Township Fire, along with multiple mutual aid departments including Wyoming Fire, responded to the scene.

Pastor Chad DeJong of Byron Center Bible Church arrived around 6 a.m. and said he immediately knew the damage would be severe.

"It was pretty clear that it was gonna be a significant loss," DeJong said.

The fire burned through the gym on the west side of the building and spread to the auditorium roof. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours. At one point, crews consulted with church officials before bringing in excavators to tear into portions of the building to reach hidden hotspots.

"Most people don't like to see their building being torn down when it's on fire," said Byron Township Fire Captain Eric Wierenga. "When we do have to tear into it to get at the fire, it's because of a lot of factors."

The front portion of the church, the oldest section of the building, was protected by a separating wall but still sustained heavy smoke damage. The basement was completely flooded. DeJong said everything inside the building appears to be a total loss due to smoke and water damage.

Despite the devastation, DeJong offered a message of resilience to his congregation.

"The church is not the building," he said. "The church is the body of believers that make it up. We know God is doing very good work. We don't know why yet."

The church is fully insured and plans to begin the rebuilding process. DeJong said the congregation has already received multiple offers from other churches to use their facilities and expects to announce a temporary worship location later this week. All Sunday services are expected to proceed as scheduled.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. ATF was on the scene assisting with the investigation, which Wierenga said is standard procedure whenever a religious institution is involved in a fire of this size. Lightning was in the area overnight, but investigators have not pointed to a specific cause.