Historic Brooklyn Church Engulfed in Flames as FDNY Calls Third Alarm

A massive fire tore through the historic South Bushwick Reformed Church on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, prompting the FDNY to call a third alarm as flames quickly engulfed the building's iconic steeple. The blaze broke out around 1:20 p.m. on June 19, 2026, and video captured from the scene showed intense fire ripping through the wooden structure as thick black smoke poured into the sky above the neighborhood. Within minutes of the fire igniting, the church's steeple, a defining feature of the Brooklyn skyline for generations, came crashing down, a dramatic and painful sight for the many residents who gathered to watch firefighters battle the flames.

Built in 1853, the Greek Revival landmark is one of the oldest wooden churches in New York City and has long stood as a spiritual anchor for generations of local immigrant families who called Bushwick home. FDNY crews worked aggressively to contain the fire, and despite the severity of the blaze and the rapid structural collapse, officials reported only one minor firefighter injury, a relatively fortunate outcome given the scale of the destruction. Fire investigators are now working to determine the cause of the blaze, though officials have stressed that there is no confirmed evidence of arson at this time.

As smoke continued to clear from the 173-year-old site, members of the Bushwick community wasted no time in expressing their determination to rebuild what the fire took from them. For a neighborhood that has watched waves of immigrants pass through its doors over nearly two centuries, the church represents far more than a building, it stands as a living piece of Brooklyn's history. While the investigation into the fire's origin continues, residents and local leaders have already begun rallying around plans to restore the historic structure for future generations.