Fire ravages historic church in Queens - VIDEO
A historic church in Queens, NY, was severely damaged by a fire on Thursday night, according to the New York Fire Department. First responders arrived at the First Reformed Church of Astoria at 6:45 p.m. to find the church’s two-story rectory engulfed in flames.
The fire quickly extended to the over 100-year-old church building and compromised the structural integrity of both buildings, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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The blaze was under control by about 10:30 p.m. local time, after more than 270 fire and EMS personnel responded to the five-alarm fire, officials reported.
The building was vacant when the fire broke out, and no parishioners or clergy were injured. One firefighter was taken to the hospital after being hit by bricks when a portion of the church’s roof and several walls collapsed, Fire Operations Chief Kevin Woods reported. Of the 84 units that arrived at the fire, about five other non-serious.
The fire’s cause remained under investigation, according to the FDNY.
The Astoria church was first organized in 1835, according to records from the American Guild of Organists’ New York City Chapter. The current church was built around 1888, following the demolition of the original 1839 building after a fire broke out, the chapter added.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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