A historic 19th century Manhattan cathedral was reduced to ashes in a blaze hours after its Serbian Orthodox parishioners celebrated Easter on Sunday, local news outlets reported.
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The fire at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava began at 7 p.m. and sent plumes of smoke billowing over the New York City skyline. Five firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The fire started around 6:50 p.m., with flames shooting through a large circular stained glass window, and quickly went to four-alarms.
The church is the religious and cultural center for Serbians in the Greater New York area and is named for a 13th century saint who served as the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The fire was largely extinguished three hours later, but not before it destroyed the church’s roof.
One of St. Sava’s priests, Father Djokan Majstorovic, told the Associated Press he felt like he was “in a nightmare”. Madison’s letter of intent with St. Sava agreed on a fee of $250,000 for the air rights, and the lawsuit said that the fee rendered the transaction “unfinanceable”. The blaze happened on one of that church’s holiest days of the year, Easter.
Firemen poured water on the charred remains of the building, and tried to make sure that the vulnerable spots do not flare up again.
Authorities in Melbourne and Sydney are investigating fires in two Orthodox churches.
“That’s going to cost a lot of money”, he said. “I don’t know what to say”.
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Following Sunday’s fire, the cathedral is now nearly entirely destroyed, according to multiple reports. The landmarked church stretches an entire city block from 25th to 26 Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue and ladders attacked the flames from both streets.
