SI Advance – September 30, 2015
by Ryan Lavis
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 3-alarm fire ripped through a vacant church in West Brighton early Wednesday morning.
More than a hundred firefighters responded to the call of a fire inside House of Miracles church at 641 Delafield Ave. at around 2:08 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
Witnesses say they saw the fire spread quickly from the back of the building before completely engulfing the church’s steeple, which collapsed.
“The flames were unbelievable,” said George Raad, who lives nearby.
Another witness, Richard Green, watched from his house across the street as the flames completely overtook the church.
“Most of the fire was in the rear…next thing you know it just shot up and then the whole thing came down within 20 minutes,” Green said.
The fire was under control by 4:30 a.m., the fire department spokesman said.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the spokesman said.
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