Parishioners in Breezy Point stood helplessly outside St. Edmund Church on Saturday as flames engulfed their beloved house of worship in a devastating three-alarm fire.
Fire Department sources said the blaze ignited just after 2:15 p.m. on April 19 at 216 Rockaway Beach Blvd., in the tight-knit community on the western tip of the Rockaway Peninsula. St. Edmund Church is part of the Roman Catholic Blessed Trinity Parish, including two other Breezy Point churches.
The first arriving units from FDNY Engine Company 324 and the Breezy Point Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene to find heavy fire in the rear area of the one-story house of worship.
“This fire has left this community in shock on this Holy Saturday, between the death of Jesus and the joy of His Resurrection,” said John Quaglione, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said in a statement. “On a day that is to be solemn and silent, this strong Catholic community has experienced a tragedy at their church, but their faith is still strong. We are grateful that no one was inside at the time of the fire.”
More than 125 firefighters converged on the scene. While some worked to battle the fire with hose lines extended inside and outside the building, other firefighters and residents scrambled to save precious statues inside, such as those of Jesus, Mary and St. Padre Pio.
Neighbors, meanwhile, gathered outside the church, many of them with tears in their eyes, witnessing the fire as it gutted a church that had weathered the fiery destruction wrought upon the neighborhood during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Compounding the pain was that the fire at St. Edmund happened hours before the celebration of Easter, the Christian commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
“I can’t believe this happened the day before Easter, this is awful,” said one resident.
Another witness who identified themselves as a third-generation member of St. Edward commented, “This hurts my soul. Why the day before Easter?”
The Fire Department reported no injuries to civilians; two firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
“The FDNY is working closely with Blessed Trinity Parish to ease their burden during this Holy Week,” the department posted on its Instagram account.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control just after 4 p.m. Saturday. Fire Marshals are now investigating what caused the destructive blaze.
Quaglione said St. Edmund Church will not celebrate Easter Mass tomorrow; instead, services will take place at the two other churches in the Blessed Trinity parish: St. Thomas Moore and St. Genevieve.
