Early Morning Fire Destroys Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Twelve units and 65 firefighters responded to a one-alarm fire at 7:51 this morning at 384 Classon Avenue, on the second floor of Majestic Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church located on Clinton Hill's border with Bedford-Stuyvesant.

No occupants were inside of the 50' X 100' warehouse-like annex at the time, and no injuries were reported on the scene.

PVCs and other plastics that were stored on the second floor might have played a big role in slowing the fire's progress..

When PVC products are burned, hydrogen chloride gas resulting from thermal cracking slows down the continuous combustion reaction and slows burning by warding off oxygen in the air. The gas has a highly unpleasant odor, also allowing early fire detection.

The firemen reported they had to conduct extensive overhaul of building's fixtures to put out what an FDNY official described as a "deep-seated" fire, one that had penetrated the walls and "likely got inside of the vents and duct work."

The fire was brought under control within 40 minutes, by 8:30 a.m., according to the FDNY. Fire detectives are still investigating how the fire started.