Fire officials are looking into what sparked blazes that drew firefighters to a Brooklyn church twice within about five hours Sunday night and Monday morning, leaving considerable damage.
The Fire Department and the pastor at the Tabernacle of God in Christ Jesus say the first fire happened around 7:15 p.m. Sunday. The pastor, Ezell Brown, told News 12 The Bronx that he smelled smoke and found a garbage can ablaze near the back of the church, in the Crown Heights neighborhood. Firefighters quickly put the flames out at that point.
Then, around 12:30 a.m. Monday, they were called to the church again for a bigger blaze. It took 60 firefighters about two hours to get it under control.
One person was treated at the scene, declining to go to the hospital, the Fire Department said.
News station video shows broken windows, debris and other damage inside the storefront church.
The cause of the fires is under investigation, as is the question of whether they were connected.
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