It did not survive.
Don't get me wrong, I had no love for that statue. I thought it was ugly. I did not think it was flammable.
As much as I hated the statue though, deep within me, I am almost torn. On one level, I recognize it was a religious icon, and have to give it some respect. It being destroyed deserves the same sadness as the destruction of The Buddhas of Bamyan. The other side of me, perhaps the part that thinks the remains of the statue looks like a Wicker man which inherently gets burned.
I find myself ultimately siding against the statue. Not because it was ugly, nor that I am not of that faith, but because it was flammable. Now, yes, churches are flammable when made of wood. This happened to be in front of Solid Rock Church. The statue was anything but. A quote from Dayton Daily News:
"Earlier this morning and late Monday night, motorists were stopped along the highway and along Union Road in Monroe to watch the 62-foot King of Kings statue burn. The fire was reported at 11:15 p.m. Monday, June 14. Within minutes, all that was left was the steel frame of the statue at Solid Rock Church, 904 N. Union Road."
Yes, it burned to a steel frame in minutes. Basically, every component beyond the steel frame was flammable. Wood, Styrofoam, Fiberglass and Resin. (Ok, apparently fiberglass itself isn't flammable, but the binder for it is. Or something like that. Either way, it can melt)
If this were the Jesus Statue in Rio, I would be slightly saddened to see it destroyed. But this statue? It appears like it was made to burn like religious flash paper. Here's an idea for you Solid Rock Church - use some damn solid rock next time you want to make statue.
On a side note, the Hustler Hollywood sign across the street was undamaged, to the surprise of some the Church's followers. Sure, it stretches far higher into the sky, and is even uphill from there, but it is made of metal. It probably gets hit a lot. And it probably has some major surge protectors built in, and works as a lightning rod. If it were made of Styrofoam, yeah, it probably would have burned down long ago.
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