Pomona’s Victory Outreach’s toy giveaway threatened after fire destroys church

Church fire threatens toy giveaway

The Pomona community rallied after a church fire threatened the upcoming toy giveaway.

A popular church in Pomona was gutted by fire Sunday, hours before a planned Christmas event that included a toy giveaway.

Firefighters were sent to Victory Outreach Pomona at 177 W. Monterey Ave., about a mile south of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, at 2:27 a.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. They had the fire out at 6:13 a.m., according to a dispatcher.

"As some of you might have heard, this morning our church building caught on fire and it was redeemed a total loss. We will be postponing our service this morning and our `Believe' play & toy giveaway until further notice," the church posted on Facebook. "Please join us in prayer for our pastors and our church.

"-Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

On Sunday night, the community was able to rally and put together a makeshift toy giveaway, saving the holiday season for the Pomona families benefiting from the event.

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