Firefighters had not by late Monday determined the cause of a fire that destroyed a historic Flatiron cathedral on Sunday evening.
The fire on West 25thStreet at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sava began just before 7 p.m. on Sunday, NY1 reported. Firefighters needed about three hours to bring the blaze under control. RELATED:Bronx fire kills two young sisters According to published reports, a building caretaker was treated for smoke inhalation, and four firefighters also suffered minor injuries.
“This is a huge loss for the community,” City Council Member Corey Johnson said to CBS2. “In addition to being a place of worship, this historic building was a New YorkCity landmark, treasured by the people.”
Questions as to the identities and conditions of those injured, what started the blaze and what would become of the historic building went unanswered Monday night.
170 #FDNY members on scene of 4-alarm fire at 25th & Broadway #Manhattan pic.twitter.com/Y9vTqFNBLQ
— FDNY (@FDNY) May 1, 2016
On Monday morning, authorities were still dousing flames left from the large Sunday fire, which occurred after more than 700 churchgoers had celebrated Orthodox Easter Mass earlier in the day, NBC4 stated. RELATED:2 dead, one critically injured in Queens home fire: Police Constructed in the 1850s, the cathedral became a historic landmark in 1968, according to NY1.
Jason Nuckolls contributed to this report.