Overview
- The South Bushwick Reformed Church, which burned on June 19, was gutted in a three-alarm blaze that collapsed its steeple and required nearly 200 FDNY firefighters and EMS to extinguish.
- Fire investigators are reviewing surveillance that shows a person fleeing the scene shortly before the fire and are treating that individual as a person of interest, though no cause has been officially determined.
- FDNY says severe charring, debris and structural instability are making forensic searches difficult, and the city Department of Buildings has issued a vacate order while engineers assess the site.
- The congregation has launched a GoFundMe that had raised roughly $14,000 and has formally asked the city to delay any demolition pending structural and preservation reviews.
- Built in 1853 with ties back to 17th-century settlers, the wooden, landmarked church’s loss is testing New York’s preservation rules and follows other recent fires at houses of worship that have increased scrutiny of fire safety and restoration policies.