The fire broke out early Sunday evening on the same day as the Orthodox Easter holiday. Sava in Manhattan, New York, was completely destroyed by a fire, which 170 firemen had been trying to put down for more than four hours.
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It is unclear what started the fire.
The landmark church was constructed between 1850 and 1855 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“I feel like I’m in a nightmare right now”, he told reporters. Not even a “Local authorities do not have any idea yet as to the cause or point of origin of the fire that swept the Serbian Cathedral”.
It was designated a city landmark in 1968.
Alex Velic, 31, the caretaker’s stepson, told the Daily News he lives next door.
Less than 12 hours after the end of the Easter service, the Rockdale church, parts of which have been standing since the 1890s, was destroyed.
“It was devastation, honestly”, said Julijana Stefanovic, 22, a parishioner from Queens who wore a sweatshirt featuring the Serbian flag.
NEW YORK (AP) – The main body of a fire that heavily damaged a historic church in New York City has been knocked down.
“This church brought everyone together, because although there are Serbian churches in New Jersey, this is like the only one in NY”, she added.
“It was an advanced fire, already involving the entire interior”, said New York’s Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
According to the New York Post, the church now had “deep financial troubles” as it is “battling a major Manhattan developer over a United States dollars 100 million project that fell through two years ago”.
“We’ve got I don’t know how many fire appliances, police, ambulance now in attendance”.
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“This is a huge loss for the community”.
