The FDNY has now confirmed what many suspected from the start: the massive fire that gutted the historic South Bushwick Reform Church in Brooklyn was intentionally set. The 1853 landmark, a Greek Revival structure that served generations of worshippers as both a house of faith and a community hub, is a total loss, and it will be completely torn down.
CBS New York reported the determination this week. Pastor James E. Steward II made clear the congregation never saw it coming.
“It was more than just a building. It’s lives and generations of lives that have been touched,” Steward said. “We have no known enemies.”
He added: “Now we understand it is intentional, which brings another layer of grief to myself, as well as the congregation and the community.” And: “Whoever is responsible for this ultimately has to answer to God.”
No arrests have been made. Investigators previously noted a person of interest seen fleeing the scene on video shortly before the June 19 blaze erupted. The three-alarm fire brought down the steeple and left the wooden structure irreparable in the eyes of city officials.