On the evening of April 23, a massive fire broke out at a vacant historic church located in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York City. More than 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel were deployed to the scene, where six rescuers sustained injuries.
According to reports, the church is located between 12th Street, Astoria Boulevard, and 27th Avenue. The fire began around 6:45 PM in an auxiliary building in the church courtyard and quickly spread to the main structure. The blaze eventually escalated to a five-alarm fire.
Thick black smoke blanketed the entire area, prompting local authorities to advise residents to wear masks as a precautionary measure. Intense flames were seen erupting through the roof of the church.
Fire Department official Kevin Woods stated that rescuers entered the building and attempted to extinguish the fire using several water hoses. However, controlling the blaze proved difficult as fire spreads rapidly through the walls and roofs of older structures.
During the incident, a portion of the church roof collapsed, and one firefighter was hospitalized after being struck by falling masonry. Meanwhile, people from nearby buildings were evacuated as a safety precaution.
Local historian Dominic Perro noted that the structure was built in the mid-19th century, approximately in the 1850s, and served as the "Dutch Reformed Church." It had remained vacant for the past year.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown at this time, and relevant services are currently conducting an investigation.
