6 Firefighters Injured After Battling 5-Alarm Fire At NYC Church

QUEENS, NY — Six firefighters were injured after responding to a five-alarm fire at a church in Queens on Thursday.

The blaze broke out at the First Reform Church of Astoria around 6:45 p.m., the FDNY said.

Eighty-four units and 270 fire and EMS personnel responded to the church, which has been abandoned for some time, officials said.

Six firefighters suffered injuries, including one seriously, the FDNY said.

The blaze quickly rose to five alarms, and it took three hours to put the fire out.

"Once the fire gets into these old churches behind the walls and into the roof space, it's very difficult to extinguish, and there was major collapse danger to our members," FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods, told reporters.

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire.