128 year old Middle Collegiate Church caught fire in New York

Washington:A fire tore through a 128-year-old church in New York here on Sunday, destroying stained glass windows and causing widespread damage to the structure from the inside.

The blaze began early in the morning in an empty building next to Middle Collegiate Church and soon engulfed the more than 100-year -old church, BBC reported.

Reports said that there were no casualties in the fire, however, four firefighters suffered minor injuries. The mainstream Protestant church was completed in 1892. It houses the New York Liberty Bell, so called because it rang to celebrate the signing of the US Declaration of Independence in 1776.It wasn't clear whether the New York Liberty Bell was damaged in the fire.

The church is known for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ rights, and efforts to tackle climate change, therefore the authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain as to whether the fire was accidental or a target of arson attack.(UNI)