Yonkers, New York, December 14, 2023
Photo: Yonkers Firefighters Local 628 (Facebook)
Firefighters worked hard to make sure the actual church building at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Yonkers, New York, didn’t burn early on Tuesday morning.
However, the adjacent building, used for storage and occasional Bible studies was seriously damaged.
Thankfully, there were no human casualties as 70-80 firefighters fought the blaze for a few hours after it broke out at about 3:00 AM, reports ABC 7.
The property was just purchased earlier this year by a community of Jordanians within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who until recently were meeting in the Greek Orthodox church in nearby Rye.
The buildings purchased by St. George’s were under construction and authorities believe the construction may have caused the flames.
The community still hopes the main church building will be ready in time for Christmas services.
“It happened right before Christmas, and it’s just a really big punch in the gut, as far as the community. But they got a strong heart, unbelievable faith, and love,” said Fr. Elias Villis, chancellor for the Greek Archdiocese.
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