Four-alarm fire guts vacant warehouse behind historic church on Staten Island's Mount Loretto campus

A four-alarm fire tore through a long-vacant warehouse on the Mount Loretto campus in Pleasant Plains, Staten Island, on Saturday evening, in a blaze PIX11 said was visible for miles. The historic church that stands in front of it was spared.

What happened

The fire was reported at about 5:42 p.m. on Hylan Boulevard at the Mount Loretto Unique Area, CBS New York reported. The first call described the church on the campus as burning, according to NBC New York and ABC7. Instead, firefighters found an old warehouse behind the Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne engulfed in flames.

FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said crews found heavy fire throughout the building and went straight to a defensive attack, using tower ladders and large hose streams from outside. The fire went to a fourth alarm by about 6:35 p.m., SILive reported. CBS New York said more than 200 FDNY and EMS personnel responded; NBC New York put the figure at nearly 200. Firefighters had the flames under control in less than three hours, PIX11 reported.

The warehouse had been empty for at least five years. Woods said it suffered heavy damage and the roof collapsed, so firefighters kept a collapse zone around the remaining walls. One firefighter suffered a minor burn to his leg, the FDNY said.

Wind and water

Strong winds carried burning embers across the campus, but crews kept them from igniting other buildings, Woods said. SILive reported that emergency radio traffic described water supply problems early on, with firefighters working to draw more water from Hylan Boulevard. A neighbor who said he was a retired FDNY lieutenant told NBC New York that the hydrants in the area could not supply enough water for a fire that size.

The campus

Mount Loretto is run by Catholic Charities of Staten Island and offers a range of community programs, NBC New York reported. Woods said the campus has 36 structures, including two schools and a senior center. None of them, and not the church, were damaged, according to the FDNY.

Fire marshals are investigating what started the fire. Crews were expected to stay at the site overnight to put out hot spots and watch the damaged structure.