Massive Fire Devastates Historic Church In East Village

EAST VILLAGE, NY — An historic East Village church was heavily damaged following an early-morning blaze Saturday at the corner of East Seventh Street and Second Avenue.

The fire, which broke out just before 5 a.m. in a vacant building, quickly spread to Middle Collegiate Church as well as another nearby building on East Seventh Street, FDNY Assistant Chief John Hodgens said Saturday morning.

By 6 a.m., the church's roof was completely engulfed in flames, according to reports.

Hodgens said the church and the building where the fire started were both considered "a total loss."

Built in 1892, the church is home to the oldest congregation of the Collegiate Churches of New York, which date to the Dutch settlement of the island in the 1620s, according to the church's website.

The Middle Collegiate Church had been in two other locations in Manhattan since 1729.

The bell tower houses New York’s Liberty Bell, which rang to mark the birth of the nation in 1776 and has since been rung for the inaugurations and deaths of American presidents and events such as remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the church.

The Rev. Jacqui Lewis said she believed the bell survived the fire but was not certain, according to The Associated Press.

"We are devastated and crushed that our beloved physical sanctuary at Middle Collegiate Church has burned," Lewis tweeted on Saturday. "And yet no fire can stop Revolutionary Love."

Nearly 200 firefighters were dispatched to the fire. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries as a result of the fire, Hodgens said Saturday morning.

Firefighters were still on scene at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Fire marshals are working to determine the cause of the blaze.

The building where the fire originated was also the location of a three-alarm fire in February, Hodgens said. The cause of that fire was determined to be accidental and was attributed to electrical and building wiring issues.

Saturday's fire is unrelated to the one in February, Hodgens added.