Investigators probing possible arson in blaze that tore through landmarked, 173-year-old NYC church
Officials have yet to rule out arson as the cause of a fierce blaze that destroyed a landmarked Brooklyn church last month – and are eyeing a suspicious person of interest, sources said.
The fire that tore through the wooden, 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church on Bushwick Avenue on June 19 has yet to be given an official cause, the FDNY said.
But investigators haven’t ruled out the possibility of a firebug setting the place alight, according to sources.
Authorities are looking at a suspicious person of interest who was seen on video fleeing the historic church not too long before it went up in flames, the sources said.
Investigators are also methodically combing through the church’s remains for evidence of foul play, though extensive damage and debris have made the effort difficult, they added.
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The parish, whose historic steeple collapsed when the blaze broke out, is currently under a vacate order by the city’s Department of Buildings.
The three-alarm fire billowed heaps of smoke into the air and tore through the house of worship, requiring nearly 200 firefighters and EMS personnel to respond. It took around two and a half hours to put out, the FDNY said.
The blaze gutted much of the wooden church, which was built in 1853, according to the National Fund for Sacred Places.
Parishioners of the South Bushwick Reformed Church – whose congregation was formed back in the 17th century by Dutch Settlers – are attempting to raise money and repair the place of worship, according to a GoFundMe.
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