Six firefighters were injured Thursday night after a fire broke out in a vacant rectory in Queens and spread to the First Reformed Church of Astoria, according to the Fire Department of the City of New York, known as FDNY.
At around 6:45 p.m., the fire was reported at 27-26 12th Street. FDNY officials said that firefighters arrived to find a lot of fire in an empty two-story rectory. The flames quickly spread to the church, and crews first entered both buildings using several handlings.
Operations later shifted to an exterior attack because of the volume of fire and concerns about the stability of both structures, the department said.
Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said conditions worsened while firefighters were working outside.
“While operating on the exterior, a portion of the roof started collapsing, walls collapsed, and some bricks hit one of our members in the helmet,” Woods said. “He was treated by FDNY Rescue Medics, our FAST Unit, and other EMS personnel and then taken to an area hospital.”
Five other firefighters suffered non-serious injuries, according to FDNY.
The fire drew a large emergency response, with 84 units and more than 270 fire and EMS personnel assigned to the scene. The 5-alarm fire was placed under control at about 10:30 p.m.
The cause remains under investigation.
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