An historic Serbian Orthodox Church in Manhattan that plays an important role in New York's Serbian community was gutted by flames yesterday, just hours after parishioners had filled its pews for Easter services, the NY Times website reports today (May 2, 2016).
The New York Fire Department said it received the first report of the blaze at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava -- on West 26th Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas in the Flatiron district -- shortly before 7 p.m. It grew to a four-alarm fire that took 168 department personnel to tame, fire officials said.
The fire occurred after an Easter luncheon that stretched into the late afternoon and capped several busy days of Orthodox Christian celebrations, officials said.
Frank Gribbon -- a fire department spokesman who was at the scene last night -- said the blaze did not appear to be suspicious. He added, "There is so much damage you can't find the point of origin."
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