Firefighters saved a historic Staten Island church made famous by “The Godfather” after battling a raging four-alarm fire intensified by powerful winds Saturday.
More than 200 firefighters responded to Mount Loretto after the blaze erupted inside a vacant warehouse at about 5:45 p.m., FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said at a Saturday evening news conference.
The warehouse sustained extensive damage, including a roof collapse, Woods said. Firefighters were maintaining a collapse zone around the structure as crews continued working at the scene.
The building had been empty for five years and stood near dozens of other structures on the Mount Loretto grounds, including two schools, a senior center and the historic Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne.
Despite the strong winds, firefighters kept the flames from reaching the surrounding buildings, Woods said.
“It’s very windy out here tonight. Our units did a great job with many of the flying embers preventing additional structures from going on fire,” he said.
Among the buildings spared was the Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne, which appeared in exterior shots of the baptism scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.”
The ornate Catholic church was previously destroyed by fire in 1973 and rebuilt three years later, according to The New York Times.
The fire was brought under control by 8:30 p.m., although firefighters remained at the site to douse several lingering hot spots, Woods said.
One firefighter sustained a minor burn to his leg, Woods told reporters.
The FDNY Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate what caused the blaze.