Pentecostal Church Destroyed by Fire

A three alarm fire ripped through the Pentecostal New Life Ministries Church of God in Christ on Remsen Avenue Thursday morning, collapsing part of the roof and causing the building to be marked for demolition.

Deputy Fire Chief Tom LoPardo of the New Brunswick Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the department responded around 5 a.m. Thursday and found heavy smoke and the fire located in the rear of the church.

The flames spread throughout, causing firefighters to have to fight it entirely from the outside, due to the layout of the building causing unsafe conditions, he said.

Around 11 a.m. Thursday, firefighters were still hosing the building down to extinguish any remaining hot spots.

The church was unoccupied, and no firefighters were injured in the blaze, he said.

The church is to be turned over to the building department to be torn down, as it is a total loss, LoPardo said.