Huge Fire Engulfs Historic New York Church

Firefighters are working to save a historic 19th-century church in New York that has been engulfed by flames, according to reports.

The Middle Collegiate Church, in Manhattan's East Village, caught fire on Saturday morning after flames spread from a nearby apartment building.

The apartment was vacant when the fire broke out at around 5 am and reached the church not long afterward, according to witnesses.

The church roof was reportedly engulfed in flames an hour later, ABC New York reported.

Some 200 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) were said to have attended the fire, amid an effort to save the church.

In a short statement, the FDNY said “FDNY members are operating on scene of a 5-alarm fire at 48 East 7th Street in Manhattan.”

The department shared photos of the efforts, which have continued almost four hours after the fire started. 

Images appeared to show the churches’ stained glass window not to be intact, following the fire.

The church, which was built around 1891, is co-affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America, according to its website.

No injuries have been reported, the FDNY has said.