A paralysed young man and his wife could only watch in horror as flames engulfed their home with his father, a well-loved pastor, still trapped inside.
The body of the pastor, Jeffrey Sorvik, 52, was later found in the rubble of their home in Normanna Township in Minnesota, the Duluth News Tribune reported, citing the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office as source.
Those who knew Sorvik described him as a compassionate person who loved and cared for all the people he knew.
He was serving as church multiplication catalyst for the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) at the time of his death. He was also the founding pastor of Anchor Point Community Church.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Sorvik's son, Josh, and daughter-in-law, Chelsea, were able to escape from the fire but were unable to get back inside to rescue the pastor reportedly because of the intensity of the fire.
Michele, the pastor's wife, was not at home when the fire broke out, reports said.
Josh, 25, who was paralysed from the chest down following a skiing accident in 2009, expressed his anguish over the tragic death of his father in a Facebook post on Monday.
"My heart is broken, I long for the day I will see you again. I love you and miss you dad," he wrote with a photo of his father standing beside him in his wheelchair.
The Anchor Point Community Church was grief-stricken with the death of its founder.
"There are no adequate words to express the entirety of our sorrow as a result of Jeff's unexpected and sudden departure," the church said in a tribute on Facebook.
"Jeff faithfully led us for more than seven years as lead pastor, mentor, friend and beloved brother in Christ ... Through preaching God's word, teaching us to live like Jesus, challenging us to make disciples and leading by example, he gave every bit of himself to us," the church said.
In a statement, EFCA President Kevin Kompelien praised Sorvik as a passionate church planter.
"Jeff knew that throughout Scripture and history, the by-product of going out and turning lost people into disciples requires the gathering together of new churches, and that the development of disciples leads to planting churches. He was inspired to celebrate the work of God through leaders, churches and movements around the world," Kompelien said.
A Go Fund Me campaign has been launched with the goal of raising at least $50,000 to assist his family in replacing their home which was completely razed by the fire. The Anchor Point Community Church has also set up a memorial fund to assist the Sorvik family.
