A fire ravages the first Wakefield Baptist Church

WAKEFIELD – A multi-alarm fire ravaged Tuesday night the first Baptist church, sending fiery pieces of the white church to collapse on the ground and forcing firefighters to attack from multiple angles.

The main roof of the church, almost 150 years old, has collapsed and long windows were blown out of the building located at 8, Lafayette Street, near the downtown area. The flames licked part of the building frame. The structure seemed to be a total loss.

The fire was reported after powerful storms hit Greater Boston, knocking down power lines.

According to the National Weather Service, a tornado has been shot down in Lincoln, Northern Ireland.

Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the office of the Fire Marshal, confirmed the multiple-alarm fire, but sent back her comments to the Wakefield Fire Department.

A fire regulator said they were too busy to comment on Tuesday night.

Dozens of firefighters from many communities on the North Shore fought under a brilliant moon. The scene, located near the town of Wakefield, attracted dozens of spectators. With its 180-foot spire, the church is considered a landmark in Wakefield, a town about 14 km north of Boston.

Church leaders could not be immediately contacted to comment.

Matt French, a 32-year-old construction worker who lives at four church homes, said he was taking a shower Tuesday night when he heard a big boom.

He said that he was out and saw the fire rising in the church steeple. He added that part of the belfry had collapsed in the main part of the church, where the benches were.

The building is considered a landmark in the city, he said, and a manger is located at the back of the building.

People began to be moved by watching the fire sweep the building, he said.

"It's old, so it'll go up fast," he said. "He just rose."

Kieth St. Clair was in a building attached to the back of the church for a community meeting shortly before 7 pm. when a fire alarm has occurred. He said that he had gone out and that he had seen an orange glow in "a little corner of the church".

"So suddenly, boom," he says about the fire.

Firefighters were on the scene quickly, he said, but the fire devastated the building. St. Clair said that he was in shock.

"He really enlightened," he said.

Shortly after 9 pm, firefighters were still directing at least nine streams of water to the building. The pieces of the frame of the structure are always orange. The neighborhood smelled of smoke.

Ed Dombrowski, a Wakefield councilman who lives about two blocks from the church, said the initial reports suggested that a crush could have triggered the hell that ravaged the town. ;building.

He said the building was one of the most beautiful properties in the city and was a quintessential New England structure.

"It's an icon of our horizon," he said. "It is important that we come together as a community and rebuild."

This story is in development and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Map: 8 Lafayette St., Wakefield

Danny McDonald can be contacted at [email protected]. Adam Sennott can be contacted at the following address: [email protected].