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A massive fire broke out at a vacant New York City apartment building early Saturday morning, spreading to a historic church in the East Village, fire chiefs said.
The roof of the 128-year-old Middle Collegiate Church collapsed as the fire raged. The initial 4-alarm fire continued to burn, developing into a possible 6-alarm fire.
FDNY commissioner Daniel A. Nigro was on the scene to help fight the blaze and assess the damage.
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The department received the call shortly before 5 am, with units arriving “very quickly”, according to Deputy Chief John Hodgens.
“We quickly sent additional alarms to get additional help here,” Hodgens said. “We knew it was going to be a big deal.”
“We were able to contain it in this area,” he added.
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At the time of Hodgens’ declaration, the blaze was designated as a 5-alarm fire, which required 200 firefighters and 44 units to contain.
The units suffered “minor injuries” for four firefighters. The church, however, suffered “significant” damage, with Hodgens calling it “total loss.”
The department and city officials will need time to assess any damage to the buildings. The cause of the fire is unknown, but the marshals have already opened an investigation into the cause.
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The vacant building had already burned down in February last year, but the cause was determined to be an accident and unrelated to Saturday’s fire.
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