A massive fire broke out yesterday morning in an empty building in New York City and spread to a 19th century church, the historic Middle Collegiate Church located in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, leaving both structures uninhabitable.
Heartbreaking.
Middle Collegiate is such an icon of the East Village. I can’t count the number of times I walked past it and took in its humble beauty.@FDNY is continuing operations on the scene. We’ll do whatever we can to help Middle Collegiate rebuild. https://t.co/Fqke8GjQNs
– Major Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor)
December 5, 2020
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The fire started at 5 in the morning and an hour later, the roof of the temple was completely destroyed by flames. According to the city’s Fire Department, four of the approximately 200 firefighters who were on the scene suffered minor injuries but the flames did not leave no fatality.
The church, on the other hand, is a historic building built in 1892 and is home to the oldest congregation of the New York Collegiate Churches, dating back to the Dutch settlement of the island in the 1620s.
“We are devastated by the burning of our beloved physical sanctuary at Middle Collegiate Church,” said the Rev. Jacqui Lewis in a release . “And yet no fire can stop Revolutionary Love. We thank God that there has been no loss of life. We know that God does not cause this kind of tragedy, but is present with us and for us as we cry, present in the hugs and prayers from loved ones. “
For its part, Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City since 2014, said the fire was “heartbreaking” and vowed to do everything possible to help rebuild Middle Collegiate.
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