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Firefighters are battling a major fire at a church in the Parkside section of Philadelphia.
The blaze erupted at the Greater Bible Way Temple at 52nd and Warren streets just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. Fire officials say the three-alarm fire is under control but fear the 114-year-old structure may collapse.
The view from Chopper 6 showed flames and smoke billowing from the top of the structure.
"I see the smoke and the next thing I know I ran over to get the people out of the lobby. They didn't even know the church was on fire," one witness tells Action News.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says at least one person was transported to an area hospital for unknown injuries.
Action News has learned that there were workers on the roof at the time of the fire.
A massive, two-alarm fire, ripped through a church in Philadelphia's Parkside neighborhood. Aaron Baskerville has the latest on the investigation and takes a look at cellphone video showing a man and a propane tank on the roof moments before the blaze. Meanwhile, Rosemary Connors speaks to the church's pastor.
originally posted by: LookingAtMars
ETA - There is a video of a man on the roof with a hose and there is a propane tank on the roof also. The video is at the link below. Go to about the forty second mark to see the man and propane tank on the roof.
Fire officials have ruled the massive fire that destroyed a church in West Philadelphia was an accident. The Greater Bible Way Temple on the 1400 block of North 52nd Street in Parkside burst into flames Tuesday after workers were using an open flame on the roof.
The city agency's concern is not with the church's massive stone walls, but with the potential of roof slates and other debris in the fire-damaged roof structure that could become dislodged in storms or strong winds.
L & I has told the leaders of the church they must erect a fence around the fire scene and hire an engineer to develop a plan to remove or secure the damaged roof.
originally posted by: ArMaP
originally posted by: LookingAtMars
ETA - There is a video of a man on the roof with a hose and there is a propane tank on the roof also. The video is at the link below. Go to about the forty second mark to see the man and propane tank on the roof.
They were probably doing some repairs and were not careful enough, those old wood structures are easy to burn.
Any updates?