Fire destroys historic Queens church

A historic church in Queens, N.Y., suffered extreme damage from a fire Thursday night, according to the New York Fire Department. First responders arrived at the First Reformed Church of Astoria at 6:45 p.m. and found the church’s two-story rectory ablaze.

The fire quickly extended to the over 100-year-old church building and compromised the structural integrity of both buildings. The blaze was under control by about 10:30 p.m. local time, after more than 270 fire and EMS personnel responded to the five-alarm fire, officials reported.

Was anyone injured? The building was vacant when the fire broke out, and no parishioners or clergy were injured. One firefighter was taken to the hospital after being hit by bricks when a portion of the church’s roof and several walls collapsed, Fire Operations Chief Kevin Woods reported. Of the 84 units that arrived at the fire, about five other non-serious injuries were reported during the operation.

What caused the fire? The fire’s cause remained under investigation, according to the FDNY.

The Astoria church was first organized in 1835, according to records from the American Guild of Organists’ New York City Chapter. The current church was built around 1888, following the demolition of the original 1839 building after a fire broke out, the chapter added.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report about a historic Minnesota church burning to the ground last August.