Massive fire breaks out at historic South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) -- A massive fire has left an historic church in Brooklyn with extensive damage on Friday.
The fire broke out at the South Bushwick Reformed Church at 855 Bushwick Ave. near Himrod Street in South Bushwick just before 1:30 p.m., according to the FDNY.
A business owner across the street was one of the first ones to see smoke and call 911.
"I called 911, and then it started getting that smoky, smoky, smoky, smoky, smoky," said witness Anthony Williams. "The top just went up in flames, and at that time the firemen pulled up at the same time and they put the ladder up, and as soon as they hit it with the water, the top just came down. It was crazy, it was like something you see in a movie."
Video shows the steeple of the historic church topple over about 15 minutes after the fire broke out.
Officials say heavy fire was reported in the church, which extended to surrounding properties.
Within minutes, it grew to a second-alarm fire and then a third-alarm fire about 20 minutes after it started.
Sixty-three units and nearly 200 fire and EMS personnel are working at the scene.
Firefighters have the fire contained, but it has not been put out.
FDNY officials told Eyewitness News that there is still a deep-seated fire inside the church, and the concern is the rectory, a separate building behind the church, could suffer damage. The rectory and a building adjacent to the church caught fire as well.
Official say that the church will unfortunately have to be demolished. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, so the loss is devastating to the community.
The pastor of the historic church, James Stewart, was emotional about the loss. He said the church had just performed massive restoration work on the steeple, that came toppling down on Friday, just a few years ago.
Attorney General Leticia James says it will get the funding it needs to rebuild the church.
"On this day as we think about freedom, this historic church has fallen. But as we know in our faith, church is more than a structure. Church is within. And that's why this church will rebuild," James said.
The pastor say they will do just that.
"When we think about the 175 years of ministry here, and so it's a devastating loss emotionally, but we know that the church is more than just building, it's people, and so that was my first thought -- was the people, and so we will get through this together," Stewart said.
Fortunately, officials say only one firefighter suffered minor injuries, and refused medical attention. There were no reports of any other injuries so far.
There is no reason to believe the firs is suspicious, but Fire Marshalls are investigating the cause of the fire.
Operations are ongoing.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
