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A devastating blaze consumed a historic church in New York on Thursday, casting bright orange flames over the structure as firefighters valiantly worked to bring the fire under control.
The inferno, described as a five-alarm fire, erupted initially in a residence connected to the First Reformed Church of Astoria in Queens at approximately 6:45 p.m., according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
Firefighters arriving at the scene discovered the fire had started in an empty two-story rectory, quickly spreading to the church itself, the FDNY reported.
Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods recounted the perilous conditions faced by responders, stating, “While operating on the exterior, a portion of the roof started collapsing, walls collapsed, and some bricks hit one of our members in the helmet. He was treated by FDNY Rescue Medics, our FAST Unit, and other EMS personnel and then taken to an area hospital.”
The fire’s swift assault on the First Reformed Church of Astoria stands as a sobering reminder of the unpredictable nature of such disasters and the bravery of those who face them head-on.
More than 270 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene before it was fully under control at 10:30 p.m. Six firefighters were injured. Images of the fire showed flames ripping through the structure as firefighters carried out an exterior attack to extinguish the blaze.
Kevin Harris, who said he was the last head deacon of the church, told local media that the community is reeling over the extensive damage the house of worship is expected to suffer.
“It hurts; it hurts my whole family. My sister was just over there. My niece went to this church. My mother went to this church. We have elders from Astoria Projects that went to this church,” Harris said. “People got married, baptized… this is our life.”
“We’ve been going here—I moved out here in ’67,” he added.
The First Reformed Church of Astoria is seen hours after a fire damaged much of the inside of the building. (New York Fire Department)
A nearby resident, who gave his name as Jack, said he arrived at the scene of the fire at the same time that firefighters responded.
“They looked like they were trying to localize the fire, keep it down, then it seemed to spread to the church,” he told FreedomNewsTV. “And it looks like they’ve just been trying to put it out in the church ever since. And it looks like it’s been a bit stubborn. It’s not going away,” he added.
The church, which opened sometime in the 1830s, was also damaged during a fire more than a century ago on Jan. 14, 1888. That blaze damaged the floor, some pews, and the church organ, according to the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
An FDNY truck is parked on a street in Manhattan, New York, on July 5, 2024. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
On Friday, state Assemblywoman Diana Moreno, whose district includes Astoria, praised the FDNY for its work to extinguish the blaze.
“Thank you to our first responders for protecting us,” she wrote on X. “My sincere wishes for a speedy recovery to the six firefighters who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.”
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