Ricky Dillard

Tuesday a roaring fire destroyed the suburban Atlanta home of gospel singer Ricky Dillard. The fire was uncontrollable when firefighters arrived at the Ellenwood home on Hickory Walk Lane at about 2 a.m.

Fire officials said it took them about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control while they worked to prevent the winds from carrying the embers to a neighboring home.

"Our firefighters were actually split in their duties. Some firefighters were assigned to fight the fire for the house that was burning. There were other firefighters that were assigned to wet down the house next door so that it would not catch on fire so we were able to successfully keep that house from catching on fire," said Capt. Eric Jackson in a recent statement to the press.

Ricky Dillard and the New Generation Chorale started singing in 1988 and with the debut of their first record "The Promise" received immediate acclaim and a Grammy nod.

The Grammy-nominated Dillard is currently in New York. His manager said the singer is "distraught" about the fire and may come back to Atlanta as a result of it. The investigation into how the blaze started is underway.

Please keep him in your prayers. If you want to contact him you can do so by logging on to his website www.rickydillardnewg.com