Shawn Inglima, Nicholas Williams, Thomas Tracy – New York Daily News
A massive fire tore through a Brooklyn church Wednesday, reducing the century-old house of worship to a pile of smoldering rubble, the FDNY said.
More than 150 firefighters responded to put out the blaze that broke out inside the Iglesia Pentecostal Arca Cristiana church on Halsey St. near Central Ave. in Bushwick around 10:30 a.m., FDNY officials said.
Residents who lived next door to the church were quickly alerted to the fire by the heavy smoke and flames and ran outside as a precaution.
“I was in the shower when people were screaming for me to get out, so I got out,” resident Madelyn Urene told the Daily News as she shivered in the cold. “My hair is still wet.”
When firefighters arrived, “we had heavy fire throughout the church,” FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said at the scene. “Our units moved in aggressively with multiple hand lines, but due to the amount of fire and structural stability we moved to an exterior attack.”
Firefighters used “large caliber” water streams to put out the fire as the blaze consumed the bell tower and a large part of the church.
Tony Lopez was working at a nearby deli, when he saw the smoke from the fire curl down the street.
“When we came out we saw a ton of smoke,” Lopez, 53, told The News. “There were two firetrucks there already. There was people across the street that went to the church and they were crying.”
The fire was so intense that the building ultimately collapsed, Woods said. The church was built in 1910, according to streeteasy.com.
“The church is over 100 years old,” Woods said.
An adjoining building was also damaged by the fire.
“We didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” Urene said. “We left just in case, but we didn’t think the whole thing was going to fall.”
The church’s pastor was inside the church when the fire broke out, but he escaped without the FDNY’s help, Woods said. No injuries were reported.
FDNY fire marshals are trying to determine what sparked the blaze. It was not immediately clear just where the fire started, according to Woods.
Parishioner Said Nunez was at work when he got the terrible news: The church where he was baptized and where he worshiped for more than two decades was no more.
“I was at work when this happened, and I was called,” Nunez, 22, said. “I came over and saw smoke, and you could see the smoke from a mile away.
“I can’t even put into words how tragic this is,” he said. “I had the honor to preach and sing and be the leader of the youth at this church.
“This is more than just a building. It’s more than what we see. It’s where we congregate to serve our Lord, so it’s difficult.”
A much smaller fire broke out in the church about 13 years ago, but congregants were quick to repair the damage, he said.
A GoFundMe post asking for donations to help parishioners rebuild was put up within hours of the fire.
“For decades, our church has been more than just a building — it has been a home for those seeking faith, a shelter for those in need, and a beacon of hope for our community,” the post read. “From Sunday services to weddings, food drives to youth programs, Arca Cristiana has been at the heart of our Halsey St., touching countless lives. It was where we prayed, celebrated, and supported one another through life’s joys and struggles. Now, we stand in the ashes, heartbroken yet filled with faith that together, we can rebuild.”
Urene said the pastor lived in the church with his family. The family had been preaching from the church for more than 20 years, she said.
“We’re concerned for them. We haven’t seen them yet,” she said. “They’re so sweet and amazing. There’s a lot of people who like that church.”
©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
