Fire rips through Elizabeth, NJ church; investigators search for cause
Four-alarm fire at Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth, N.J. (Courtesy Elizabeth NJ Fire Officers IAFF Local 2040)
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) - An early morning fire ripped through a church in New Jersey, forcing cancellation of services, but no injuries were reported.
Officials say the blaze at Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth was reported shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday.
Four-alarm fire at Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth, N.J. (Courtesy Elizabeth NJ Fire Officers IAFF Local 2040)
Arriving fire crews reported the structure fully engulfed in flames, and the back of the structure collapsed.
Chief Thomas McNamara of the Elizabeth fire department said the church was "pretty much destroyed" and called it "a sad day."
The church's Facebook page lists its founding date as November 1879. Pastor William Ingram called it "a shock."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.