A vacant warehouse on the Mount Loretto campus in Pleasant Plains, Staten Island went up in flames Saturday evening, growing into a four-alarm blaze that sent embers swirling over the historic Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne before firefighters managed to keep the fire from spreading any further across the sprawling property.
The fire broke out around 5:45 p.m. in the empty warehouse at 6581 Hylan Boulevard, according to FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods, as reported by the New York Post. The fire had climbed to a fourth alarm by about 6:35 p.m., according to silive.com. Reported response totals varied, with silive.com putting the number at more than 200 firefighters and EMS personnel while NBC New York cited nearly 200 first responders on scene.
The warehouse itself had sat vacant for at least five years, per NBC New York's reporting, and the fire was confined to that structure rather than the church or other buildings nearby. Strong winds complicated the effort, sending burning embers flying across the Mount Loretto grounds, which include dozens of structures, two schools and a senior center, the station reported.
Firefighters Battled Wind, Weak Hydrants and a Collapsing Roof
Crews quickly shifted tactics once they arrived. Our units did a great job with many of the flying embers preventing additional structures from going on fire, Woods said, according to the Post. Firefighters also had to contend with low water pressure, with NBC New York reporting that the water volume in the hydrants isn't sufficient, prompting crews to bring in a satellite unit.
Firefighters said they immediately went to a defensive operation, relying on large-caliber streams, tower ladders and hand lines rather than entering the structure, per the station's later report. The warehouse's roof ultimately gave way. There is heavy, heavy damage to this structure, the roof did collapse, and right now we're maintaining a collapse zone around that structure, Woods said. CBS News reported that firefighters established the collapse zone specifically out of concern for the stability of the remaining walls.
Historic Church, Schools and Senior Center Spared
Despite the extensive damage to the warehouse, the fire did not spread to the historic church, nearby senior center or schools on the property, which silive.com reported were unaffected. The Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne holds a particular place in pop culture: its exterior appeared in the baptism scene of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, according to Gothamist.
It is not the church's first brush with fire. The original structure, built in 1891, burned to the ground in 1973 after flames broke out in a basement art classroom at about 4:40 a.m. on December 19, according to the New York Times' archival account. Former residents and other supporters sent at least $4,000 toward rebuilding in the fire's immediate aftermath, the Times reported at the time. Four stone walls survived that blaze and became the footprint for the smaller church rebuilt in 1976, according to a separate silive.com retrospective.
Minor Injuries Reported, Conflicting Accounts
Accounts of injuries from Saturday's fire differ. CBS News reported that one firefighter suffered a minor burn injury to his leg, a detail Woods also gave to reporters per the Post's account. NBC New York's report on the cleanup, however, stated that a firefighter and a civilian suffered minor injuries. The discrepancy between the two accounts was not resolved in available reporting.
Fire marshals are investigating to determine how the fire started, NBC New York reported. Woods said firefighters continued putting water on some remaining hot spots after the blaze was brought under control. Fire crews planned to remain on scene overnight to extinguish hot spots and monitor conditions, according to CBS News. Reports also varied on the precise time the fire was contained, with Gothamist citing about 8:27 p.m. and the Post citing 8:30 p.m.
A Warehouse Already Slated for Demolition
The warehouse that burned was already abandoned and had been set for demolition, Catholic Charities CEO Claire Atalla told silive.com. The Mount Loretto campus is run by Catholic Charities and hosts a range of community programs, according to NBC New York's report on the cleanup effort.
