FDNY battles massive multi-alarm fire at vacant Astoria, Queens church; 6 firefighters injured

The FDNY took on an intense, multi-alarm fire at a vacant church in Astoria, Queens, on Thursday evening.

More than 250 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene. Six firefighters suffered minor injuries, officials said.

Chopper 2 was over the blaze at the Reformed Church of Astoria on 12th Street, between Astoria Boulevard and 27th Avenue. At one point, thick, black smoke choked off the area for blocks and residents were forced to put on masks.

Fire officials say the fire started at the church rectory at around 6:45 p.m. and quickly spread over to the church, itself, later reaching five alarms. Intense flames were seen shooting out of the house of worship's roof.

"Our units moved into these two structures, with multiple handlines, and once the fire gets into these old churches, behind the walls and into the roof space, it's very difficult to extinguish and there was a major collapse danger," FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said.

Eventually, the roof did collapse and bricks struck a firefighter, sending him to the hospital, officials said.

The fire caused evacuations from nearby buildings.

"This church is historic, probably 1850. It was called the Dutch Reformed Church and it has been abandoned for a year. And in a way, I'm not surprised that there has been a fire," Astoria resident and historian Dominique Perrot said.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze. Firefighters were expected to be on the lookout for hotspots during the overnight hours into Friday.