EMILY LENIHAN
WIVB
Reprinted with Permission

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - An inferno has consumed a Niagara Falls church.


There are no injuries, but Pierce Avenue Presbyterian Church is a total loss.

Fire crews battled fierce winds as they tried to keep burning remnants under control.

The alarm sounded around 7:15 a.m. by the time the first units arrived the building was already engulfed.

As crews tried to enter the building, fire officials told News 4 the flames forced them back out to a defensive posture.

Niagara Falls Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Gray said, "A lot of heat, a lot of fire, it was like a fire storm when the wind was whipping up."

Fire investigators haven't yet been able to go inside the structure to determine the cause.

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