Historic church engulfed in flames in Kensington; multiple homes evacuated

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — A massive fire destroyed a church and forced the evacuation of multiple homes in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia in the early hours of Friday morning. 

More than 100 Philadelphia firefighters responded to the Greater Church of Philadelphia on Emerald Street and Allegheny Avenue around 12:45 a.m., and crews extinguished the inferno just before 3 a.m. Officials said there were multiple collapses within the building including the roof and the load-bearing walls of the structure.

“The church was constructed in 1884,” said Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Gallegher. “It’s been here a long time and these old churches were built with large amounts of wood, which led to an interior lumberyard fire once the fire gets into the wood.”

Fire officials also said that crews factor in the wind when working an inferno with other buildings adjacent to the structure. Deputy Chief Gallegher said that while wind wasn’t a major issue in this fire, embers were burning north of the church.

The four home on both sides of the structure were evacuated. The dwellings were in the “collapse zone” of the church. The Red Cross is assisting the residents of those dwellings. 

No injuries were reported.

Once crews finish spraying the hot spots, investigators will be able to assess the damage and figure out the cause of the fire. Officials said the clean-up, which includes the evacuated residents returning to their homes, will likely continue into the weekend.

As of this posting, Allegheny Avenue is blocked off from Emerald Street to Frankford Avenue. Commuters are asked to find an alternative route.