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Fire damages Massachusetts church after Easter services

A fire broke out at a Massachusetts church not long after Easter services, with more than 100 firefighters working to save the 114-year-old structure

Cambridge
Monday 10 April 2023 14:18 BST

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A fire broke out at a Massachusetts church not long after Easter services, with more than 100 firefighters working to save the 114-year-old structure.

The fire started at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge. Firefighters from 18 engine companies and eight ladder companies responded, Acting Fire Chief Tom Cahill said.

Part of the roof collapsed, but the main structure and the steeple were still standing. Video of the multi-alarm fire showed heavy smoke coming from the steeple.

No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

It wasn't immediately clear when the last services had ended at the church.

The Rev. Robin Lutjohann, the church's pastor, said the building was empty at the time. He called fire “heartbreaking.”

“It is a place that is loved by the community,” Lutjohann told WHDH-TV. “There’s a sign in front of the building, a banner that we’ve put up there, ever since COVID, during the season of Easter, which says, ‘We will rise.’ And we will.”

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