Serbian cathedral in New York caught up in flames at the night of Easter service

The historical Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in St. Sava, New York was consumed in flames on May 1, hours after the Easter Service was held there.

Reports say that the Fire Department of New York was notified by an alarm just before the clock stroke 7 p.m. About 168 firefighters were dispatched to the area.

Before they arrived, the caretaker of the church purportedly ran into the cathedral to try to extinguish tiny flames by himself. However, he inhaled some smoke and had to be rescued.

The Orthodox Easter celebration involves the lighting of the Holy Fire and is a series of celebrations which lasts for several days and culminated on May 1.  Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar; such is one of the reasons why they celebrated Easter on the said date, which is a day later than that of the Protestants' who follow Gregorian calendar.

Although the celebration involves lighting of candles as Holy Fire, spokesman of New York Fire Department, Frank Gribbon, told New York Times officials are still trying to determine the cause of the fire which also destroyed the Gothic-style roof of the church.

The huge church was said to be the backbone of the Serbian Orthodox community in that West 25^{th Street in New York. It has been sitting there for several decades but is now gone because of the fire.}

Many were saddened by the fate of the Orthodox Church. Parishioners could not help but feel regret at the sight of the cathedral. Passersby and those who live nearby watched in horror and took photos and videos as firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames. 

Back in 1968, this Orthodox Cathedral was recognized as a landmark by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission and was added as one of the New York's historical place in the national registry.