Before the fire, the Clayborn Temple was undergoing a $25 million restoration that was slated for completion in 2026.

A historic Black church in Memphis, Tennessee, that was an organizing point for Martin Luther King's last civil rights campaign caught fire early on Monday morning and was badly damaged.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Clayborn Temple Church in Downtown Memphis went up in flames early Monday morning. The second-alarm fire was reported just before 1:40 a.m. at the historic church and civil rights landmark located at 294 Hernando Street, according to the Memphis Fire Department (MFD). It was unknown what caused the fire.