ANDOVER - A nearly empty New England Bible Church caught fire yesterday when a blaze in a van parked next to it spread to the building.

Only two people - church staffers - were inside when the two-alarm fire began. Those men fled the building when a fire alarm went off at 9:48 a.m., calling 911 as they left.

"I looked through the windows and I saw the flames coming off the van," said Paul Zagrobski, assistant pastor at the 60 Chandler Road nondenominational church.

The blaze is not suspicious, but inspectors are still trying to determine how it began, Deputy fire Chief Al Deldotto said. Firefighters believe the large, white van somehow caught fire and then spread to the side of the church. Flames then crept up into the ceiling of the building.

Only one room of the large church, which is set back and secluded from the road, was damaged. The other rooms can be used as long as power is turned back on, Deldotto said. The room, known as Fellowship Hall is a function room with a removable wall that allows more space during services.

Firefighters arrived to find the van "heavily involved" and the side of the building on fire. It took about an hour to extinguish the blaze.

No one was injured in the fire. Lawrence firefighters assisted on-scene and crews from North Andover and Tewksbury covered stations while Andover firefighters worked.

New England Bible Church was started in North Andover in 1982, meeting at the Heritage Green Clubhouse. It later met at the Knights of Columbus hall in Andover and moved to Chandler Road in 1994.

Zagrobski said that Monday was one of the few days the building is empty.

"It's probably the best day (to deal with a fire), because the rest of the week is active," he said.