Moment spire of a century-old Massachusetts church collapses

A massive fire ripped through a historic 280-year-old church in Massachusetts and sent the spiral spiraling downward.

The fire at First Congregational Church of Spencer started around 3 p.m. Friday and witnesses say it was started by a lightning strike.

The Spencer Fire Department responded immediately and battled the flame for hours as smoke billowed from the building, which was made entirely of wood.

The fire quickly spread and the church steeple completely engulfed in flames before crashing down.

No one was injured as the building was empty at the time and the community watched in shock as the historic church collapsed.

The fire at First Congregational Church of Spencer started around 3 p.m. Friday and witnesses say it was started by a lightning strike

Dramatic photos show smoke billowing from the burning building and can be seen from surrounding towns.

The Spencer Police Department urged the public to stay away from the area and firefighters from neighboring areas were called in to help fight the blaze.

They managed to contain the heaviest flames by 5 pm when they climbed tower ladders to douse the church with water from above.

And hundreds of shocked residents watched from different angles as the fire engulfed the building.

Reverend Dr. Bruce MacLeod, who has led the church since February, watched the church burn from across the street.

“For a lot of people it’s a death in the family, for people who have experienced life milestones here, from baptisms to weddings to funerals, it’s devastating,” he shared local television channel WHDH.

Investigators believe a lightning strike could have started the blaze when a storm passed over Spencer around 2:30 p.m.

Krystal Sanchez lives nearby and said she saw the spire collapse before the fire broke out.

“I was just sitting in my house and heard the ambulance coming. I really didn’t think anything of it, but when I came out there was smoke and fire everywhere,” she told NBC 10 Boston.

The Spencer Fire Department responded immediately and battled the flame for hours as smoke billowed from the building, which was made entirely of wood

The fire spread quickly and the church tower was completely engulfed in flames before collapsing

No one was injured as the building was empty at the time and the community watched in shock as the historic church collapsed

The church was first established in 1743 and it is not the first time it has been destroyed by fire as a fire tore through the congregation in 1862 before being completely rebuilt

“The roof of the building just collapsed. It was horrible. There were people crying, it was really bad.

‘It was horrible. There were people crying, it was just a horrible scene.’

Robert St. Germain also witnessed the fire and said, “It’s sad. It’s part of the city. What can you do? We are all sad. We all mourn this.’

Southbridge Fire Chief Paul Normandin said: ‘We had an eyewitness account of a lightning strike in the area, so at this point we kind of assume that’s probably what happened.’

A collapse zone was constructed around the church as firefighters waited for an excavation team to arrive to demolish the remains of the building’s front walls.

“It’s worrying,” Normandin said. “That’s why we’re not in front of it.”

The church was first established in 1743 and it is not the first time it has been destroyed by fire.

A fire tore through the borough in 1862 before it was completely rebuilt a year later.

A lone chimney with a beam over it remained standing, resembling a cross.

Some walls of the First Congregational Church were still intact after the fire, giving the community hope that it can be rebuilt.

The church has a small congregation of about 30 people and Pastor MacLeod isn’t sure if the building can be repaired.