NEW YORK—A historic church in New York City was destroyed in a raging fire just hours after its Orthodox worshippers celebrated Easter.
The fire that started at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in Manhattan sent plumes of smoke billowing into the city’s skyline.
The fire was largely extinguished three hours later, but firefighters had to beat back small pockets of flames. Authorities didn’t disclose the cause of the fire, which destroyed the church’s roof.
Fire officials said the church’s caretaker ran inside the Gothic Revival style building to try to put out the blaze but suffered minor smoke inhalation and had to be rescued.
The fire broke out on the same day Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated Easter. The church website listed services on Sunday morning and an Easter luncheon at 1 p.m.
