Gina Mason / X
CV NEWS FEED // A fire destroyed much of the interior of St. Edmund Church in Queens, New York, on Holy Saturday. Nearly 13 years ago the same church was devastated in a fire caused by Hurricane Sandy, a superstorm that ravaged the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean.
More than 100 first responders came to extinguish the fire, which began around 2 p.m., ABC7 Eyewitness News reported. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
“The pews would have been filled with parishioners on Sunday for Easter Mass, but they are instead covered in soot,” the article stated. “Not much inside the church could be salvaged — the pastor’s chair was among the ruined items.”
The firefighters saved a statue of Jesus and a crucifix, both of which were unscathed in the fire.
After firefighters extinguished the fire, the church was boarded up.
“It’s the holiest season there is in the Catholic Church and it’s devastating for it to happen,” parishioner Pat McCarthy told Eyewitness News.
After the fire caused by Hurricane Sandy, the church could only salvage a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the church was rebuilt, the parish placed this statue outside the church.
Parishioner Gina Mason said she hopes the church will be rebuilt again, Eyewitness News added.
“It’s sad because they were getting ready for Easter tomorrow and the landscapers were here yesterday and the day before,” Mason said. “It’s really sad, I hope they rebuild it.”
