Status: December 6th, 2020 12:19 am
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It is 128 years old and its tower is home to the New York Liberty Bell. But in the morning the Middle Collegiate Church caught fire – the damage is immense.
One of America’s oldest churches was destroyed by fire in the East Village of New York. The exact extent of the damage the Middle Collegiate Church suffered from the flames is not yet known.
The fire broke out around 5 a.m. local time. An empty, five-story neighboring building caught fire. The flames spread over the church. According to the fire department, almost 200 emergency services were on site and needed more than three hours to bring the fire under control. According to city councilor Carlina Rivera, there were no injuries.
“Our hearts are broken”
“Unfortunately, it looks very bad,” said Rev. Amanda Ashcraft, the ABC broadcaster after the first extent of the damage became clear: “The altar is badly damaged, our painted Tiffany windows are lost.” Pastor Jaqueline Lewis was deeply shaken:
We burned out like our house burned out; Our hearts are broken just as our doors are broken.
Almost 200 firefighters fought the flames for hours.
Bild: AP
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Church is 128 years old
The Middle Collegiate Church was built in 1892. She was part of the Collegiate Churches of New York, a community whose history dates back to Dutch settlers in the early 17th century.
The church’s website also states that the New York Liberty Bell is in the church tower. The bell was rung in July 1776. This year the American Declaration of Independence was read for the first time. The signing and publication of the document is considered to mark the birth of the USA. Since then, the bell has been rung for the inauguration and in the event of the death of a US president, and the bell rings for important events in New York, such as the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
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