"He's faithful," the Rev. Shirley Reid said, when told the Lord would provide in the aftermath of a two-alarm fire yesterday that badly damaged her South Richmond church.

As she stood across the street in work clothes, accepting comforting hugs from friends, Richmond firefighters opened holes in the sanctuary roof to ventilate smoke and check for hot spots.

A fire just before 1 p.m. heavily damaged a second-floor office, burned a hole through the roof and sent smoke through the sanctuary.

"It was frightening," said Reid, who was outside cleaning the parking lot when a neighbor called to warn that New Canaan Pentecostal Church was on fire. "The only thing I could say was, Oh no! Oh no!"

Firefighters were first called at 12:47 p.m. to the two-story brick building at 3459 Chapel Drive, just east of McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center. A second alarm was sounded at 1:01.

Fire crews "had a little trouble finding the fire" because of heavy smoke inside, said Richmond fire Lt. Michael Oprandy.

Once they found the blaze in a small, second-floor office, they were able to contain it quickly.

"The fire did not spread to the sanctuary," Oprandy said. "Firefighters were able to get in there and cut it off."

Oprandy said the blaze caused significant fire damage to the church office and attic, and heat, smoke and water damage in the sanctuary area below. Flames burned through a small portion of the roof near the front entrance, close to where the fire apparently originated in the 15-by-20-foot church office.

The cause remains under investigation. The church did not appear to have a sprinkler system or working smoke detectors, Oprandy said.

No one was injured in the blaze. Reid said two church members were outside working at the time.

The church has been at the Chapel Drive location for 14 years, Reid said, and has about 30 active members. She's been the church pastor and bishop for the last five years.

Depending on the extent of damage, Reid said she hopes to hold worship services today, when the congregation regularly meets. If necessary, services can be held in an adjoining educational wing, which wasn't damaged, she said.

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or mbowes@timesdispatch.com.