Pomona community spreads holiday cheer after fire destroys beloved church before toy giveaway

POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Resilience was on full display in Pomona Sunday where a large fire destroyed a beloved church hours before a toy giveaway.

The community rallied together with the help of ABC7's Spark of Love campaign and said they're not going to let the fire stop them from celebrating the holidays.

The Victory Outreach church erupted in flames around 2:45 a.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, the 12,000 square-foot building was already engulfed in flames, with heavy smoke shooting into the air.

The fire was so strong that firefighters had to pull back because of the risk of building collapse.

The church had planned to give away about 500 toys to local children in need on Sunday, along with holding a Christmas play with kids activities, including games and train rides.

Upon hearing the news, ABC7's Spark of Love campaign and local firefighters planned to show up across the street Sunday afternoon with toys so that the kids could still have a merry Christmas.

The replacement event lasted until Sunday evening and hundreds of toys were donated and distributed. Many church members said it was heartbreaking to see their church in ruins.

"My wife cried, I cried, but when the tears are all gone, we're going to rebuild. We're going to rebuild even stronger," said Martin Ortiz.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.