Three alarms were called for a big fire Friday afternoon inside the former St. Ann’s Church on Broadway in Buffalo. It was the second multi-alarm call to the former Catholic parish this year.
“The fire started in the rear of the church in a step-down that was built after the church,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel Pizarro. “Crews did a good job containing the fire for the most part to the rear of the building. It was completely out of the rectory… the side of the building, which is the rear of the building. And the fire had extended just a bit into the church.”
Fire crews were still assessing the structural safety of the building Friday afternoon but Pizarro suggested that the main church building appeared to remain stable.
Back in January, a four-alarm fire gutted the former St. Ann’s schoolhouse. The church was first opened in 1886, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo merged the parish with Ss. Columba-Brigid in 2007, and closed the St. Ann’s site entirely in 2013. It was later sold to Buffalo Crescent Holdings, which reportedly planned to convert the grounds into a Muslim worship and gathering place.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation but Pizarro says there have been issues with squatters getting inside the church building. The commissioner says a makeshift bed was found inside by his crews.
“We have confirmed that there’s been people in this building prior that have lived there,” he said. “The building was secured by the property owner prior to our arrival, but when we arrived here, there were some boards that were ripped off the window. We can confirm that there are no utilities. The utilities were cut off, so there is a human element involved. Whether or not that was intentional or not, that is yet to be determined.”
Pizarro added that persons of interest were seen leaving the scene, but that alone does not mean an arson occurred.
