Greenville nonprofit catches fire

GREENVILLE, S.C. —A fire broke out at a Greenville nonprofit Wednesday evening, according to Deputy Chief Shane Walters, with Parker Fire Department.It happened around 6:20 p.m. at Soteria Community Development Corporation on Shaw Street, Walters said.

"We were actually on our way to dinner and we saw just bellows of smoke," Bystander Maranda Cooley said.

According to Walters, no one was inside and there were no injuries.

Founder, Jerry Blassingame said he’s happy no one was hurt but is at a loss for words.

"When I saw the building actually and saw that it was a total loss, I got so emotional," Blassingame said.

Blassingame founded Soteria more than 20 years ago after serving two decades in prison.

According to its website, Soteria provides housing, education, employment, affirmation, and advocacy services to previously incarcerated men and women.

In April, the Upstate organization was recognized by the City of Greenville and by the state of South Carolina.

"We have so many memories. We have trained so many men that are getting out of prison to build furniture in that building. We built that from scratch," Blassingame said.

The fire was under control in five to ten minutes, Walters said.

However, by then, Blassingame said it was too late.

"They have no idea what caused the fire but from looks of it, nothing can be saved in that building," Blassingame said.

Now he is trusting his faith to move him forward.

"All things work together for the good. So we're going to work this out. It is a loss but he'll provide something for us," Blassingame said. We'll make it. We're just going to work together. We need the support of the community. The Greenville community has always supported us, even the state so we're thankful for that."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.