The First Congregational Church in Spencer, Massachusetts burned down Friday. The constructing dated again to 1863 whereas the congregation there finally dates to 1743.

When firefighters arrived at round 3 p.m. Friday, the flames and smoke had not but turn into seen outdoors however discovered smoke contained in the steeple upon coming into the church.

The constructing, a second iteration of the church constructed after a New Year’s Day fireplace in 1862 destroyed the unique construction, and shortly fed the hearth, which erupted right into a six-alarm inferno.

Video on social media reveals the burning steeple topple, crash, and knock down a bit of one of many church’s partitions.

#Breaking First Congregational Church in Spencer is on fireplace 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tGsxzZITfB

— UncookedNews1st (@Raw_News1st) June 2, 2023

The roof of the church collapsed, prompting an evacuation from homes close by. Witnesses to the conflagration had been horrified.

“The top of the building just came crashing down. It was terrible. There were people crying, it was really, really bad,” close by resident Krystal Sanchez informed WBTS-TV.

Investigators decided by Saturday that lightning sparked the blaze.

“It has been confirmed to be lightning. We had a police officer that was doing a detail that he said he saw the church get struck by lightning. I just got another woman call me to say she was outside with her kids and saw it get struck by lightning. … Yes, it was lightning,” Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons informed the Telegram & Gazette newspaper.

No one was within the constructing on the time, however the 30-member United Church of Christ congregation is now with out its non secular house.

“People are deeply attached, so it’s going to be really hard for folks to figure out what comes next,” Rev. Bruce McLeod, who started main the congregation as pastor in February, informed WBZ-TV.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com