A large fire broke out late Monday night at the Grace Episcopal Church on the corner of Madison Street and University Avenue, severely damaging the church’s kitchen and parish hall.

The fire started in the back of the church’s kitchen area on the first floor on the Madison Street side, said First Deputy Chief Kent Young. The Syracuse Fire Department received a call concerning a structural fire at 10:41 p.m.

“There is damage to two of the rooms inside,” Young said. “The fire started in the rear, there was smoke and fire, and then smoke traveled throughout the rest of the church. These guys did a great job of getting in there and getting the fire knocked down.”

Young described it as a “significant fire,” and reported that no one was injured inside of the church.

He said a majority of the church’s religious artifacts weren’t damaged from the fire.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Kent said. He added it is also unclear when the section of the church affected by the fire will reopen to the public.

Young said the church’s side near University Avenue didn’t face any damage from the fire, and is still safe for entry.

Church volunteers and visitors quickly came to the scene, looking on as smoke came out of their church.

“This is a catastrophe, this is a house of God,” said Abdullah Cojah, 76, who volunteered at the church for five months. Cojah lives across the street at McCarthy Manor.

James Kazacos, 52, who’s from Liverpool, N.Y., said he’s been visiting the church every Sunday for more than a year. He goes to the church with his girlfriend, who also lives at McCarthy Manor.

He said relocating to other church would now be a problem for him and others.

“A lot of people that live in McCarthy Manor are disabled and it’s going to be hard for them to find a ride or make other arrangements,” he said.

Firefighters had told church volunteers who’d arrived on site that the kitchen was “completely burnt” and sustained a lot of damage, along with describing the church’s parish hall as “all black,” said Kathleen Kennedy, a longtime volunteer for the church.

Johanna Marcure, the church rector, arrived briefly after at the church in tears, hugging the several distraught church volunteers who were at the scene.

“My knees are shaking, I’m totally undone. This is a real shock to me,” she said. “Together we’re a community of strength and I feel certain that God will be with us and we will go forward in a positive way together as a community.”

 

Published on September 10, 2013 at 3:20 am

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