Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, MA engulfed in flames in large fire after Easter Mass
A 6-alarm fire that engulfed a Massachusetts church just hours after Easter Sunday service is under investigation, fire officials said.
The blaze began shortly before 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, a city across the Charles River from Boston. The church conducted an Easter Sunday mass just hours earlier, beginning at 10 a.m.
The church was empty when the fire started and no one was injured, the Cambridge Fire Department reported.
The cause and origin of the fire was under investigation, Jeremy Warnick, director of communications for Cambridge Police Department told Paste BN Monday.
"A few different groups are looking at the integrity of the building to determine whether it's a total loss,"said Warnick, whose department assisted fire crews "Fortunately it didn't spread to nearby buildings - it's a fairly tight neighborhood."
A church spokesperson could not immediately be reached by Paste BN on Monday.
“Even though this is a huge blow to us, and even though I’m filled with sadness and worry at the same time, I know that God is with us, and we will trust God to lead us forward,” Rev. Robin Lutjohann, the church’s pastor told the Boston Globe.
The fire burned overnight into Monday morning. On Monday morning, fire and police officials remained on scene and several sidewalks and streets were closed in the area.
"There were still a few hot spots this morning and we're not able go into because of the stability of the building," Warnick said.
Paste BN has also contacted the Cambridge Fire Department for more information.
According to its website, the church is a congregation of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
An online post Monday showed the church as temporarily closed.
Contributing: Karen Weintraub, Paste BN
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.