Former Elmira church, built in the 1890s, destroyed by fire. What we know.

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Former Elmira church, built in the 1890s, destroyed by fire. What we know.

A former church in the heart of downtown Elmira was destroyed by a fire that broke out late Thursday, and the historic building will be torn down.

Firefighters were called out around 10:15 p.m. to 121 W. Church St., the site of the former First ******** Community Church of Elmira, after a city police officer saw flames and notified the 911 Center. The second and third floors of the sprawling structure were engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived on the scene.

Fire officials immediately requested a recall of all available fire department personnel, and also called for mutual aid, which was provided by the Southport and Elmira Heights fire departments.

The blaze quickly tore through the entire structure and into the roof, officials said, and there were concerns flames would spread to the nearby Verizon building, which is only separated from the church by 10 feet.

Firefighters pour water on the burned out remains of the former First ******** Church, 121 W. Church St. in Elmira, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. The building, which has been vacant for several years, caught fire about 10 p.m. Feb. 13.

Firefighters were still on the scene Friday morning pouring water on the smoldering remains of the building, and city police expected the stretch of Church Street between Clemens Center Parkway and North Main Street would be closed to traffic for the remainder of the day.

There were no injuries reported and firefighters were able to prevent the flames from reaching the Verizon building. In addition to the fire, crews had to deal with freezing temperatures and wind overnight, and much of the building and surrounding trees were encased with ice Friday.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the 911 dispatchers and all the responding personnel from other departments for the amazing job you did under these extreme circumstances, as well as the community businesses and members who have reached out today with food and support,” Fire Chief Andrew Mallow said in a news release.

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Firefighters pour water on the burned out remains of the former First ******** Church, 121 W. Church St. in Elmira, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. The building, which has been vacant for several years, caught fire about 10 p.m. Feb. 13.

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The First ******** Church was built in the 1890s. In October 2010, church trustees sold the property to Marian Laurentiu of Tannery Creek Road in Corning for $82,750, according to Chemung County real property records.

The former church has been vacant for more than 10 years, said fire officials, who wouldn’t say yet if they consider the blaze suspicious.

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The former First ******** Church at121 W. Church St. in Elmira seen after a fire on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. The building, which has been vacant for several years, caught fire about 10 p.m. Feb. 13.

The structure is considered a total loss, and a demolition company from the Syracuse area was expected to arrive in the area late Friday to begin removal of the tallest portions of the church that pose the biggest safety hazard.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation. The Elmira Police Department and New York state fire investigation team are assisting in the investigation.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette:

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