What to Know
- The six-alarm fire broke out shortly before 4 a.m. at the Roxbury church, which was reportedly abandoned.
- One firefighters was taken to a Boston hospital for treatment of a leg injury.
- The blaze summoned more than 100 firefighters from across the city.
Boston firefighters battled a six-alarm fire at a church in Roxbury Saturday morning that left one firefighter injured and about $1 million in damage.
The fire broke out at the church, located at 113 Harold St., just before 4 a.m. Fire officials called for six alarms, summoning crews from across the city to battle the blaze. The fire quickly grew from two alarms and more as flames shot through the church.
Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said firefighters were grappling with tough conditions in the freezing cold. The injured firefighter was reportedly taken to an area hospital for treatment of a leg injury.
About 100 firefighters were on scene at the building. Finn said it appeared someone was inside the building when the fire broke out, but did not provide additional details.
The building is more than 100 years old and a sign identified it as the Holy Mount Zion Church, but the pastor of the church says it is also home to the Deliverance Revival Tabernacle, which has been there for 13 years and has about 200 parishioners.
"We're people of faith. We're not just religious people," Rev. E.I. Osborne of Deliverance Revival Tabernacle said. "We are people of true faith."
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Firefighters were told the church was abandoned, officials said.
Flynn said the fire was contained to the building and did not spread to other neighborhood homes. At about 7:20 a.m., fire officials sent a radio call to firefighters ordering them to stand back away from the building's collapse zone. The collapse zone is the area around the building that would be affected if the structure collapsed. Fire officials reported that heavy flames were shooting from the roof of the building.
"There was a partial roof collapse, and one side of the building was damaged more than the other," Osborne said. "But it's pretty major."
Firefighters battled the fire from outside the building as they grappled with heavy smoke conditions and near zero-degree temperatures.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighters remain on scene and officials estimate the damage to the building at approximately $1 million. It is unclear whether the building will have to be torn down.
