When Shilo Cullen saw smoke coming from the back of St John's Church, his first thought was for anyone inside.
As he rushed towards the building and yelled at the top of his lungs in case anyone was inside, the fire took hold.
Mr Cullen said it was shocking how quickly the fire engulfed the building.
Image 1 of 20: Fire at St John's Church in Rotorua. Photo/Ben Fraser
He said when he first spotted the fire it was "a little bit of smoke coming out the back" but within a matter of minutes it spread.