Pastor’s home burns in Marion when bird’s nest ignites

Firefighters said a bird's nest inside a chimney was the source of a fire Tuesday that damaged a pastor's home in Marion.

Crews responded around 8:30 p.m. to the home of Rev. Cecil Ballard at 130 29th St. Ct. when a neighbor saw flames coming from the chimney. The fire had spread to the roof by the time firefighters arrived.

“I called 911, (and) by the time the fire department got here, five to 10 minutes later, the whole back of the house was on fire,” neighbor Craig Chambers said.

It took about 45 minutes for firefighters to gain control of the blaze. No one was injured.

The house sustained moderate fire damage in one room and smoke damage throughout, fire officials said.

Ballard is the pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Marion.