The moment the steeple of the historic First Congregational Church in New London, Connecticut, collapsed to the ground, leaving a gaping hole in the building's roof, was captured on video.
The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security tweeted last night that the state's Urban Search and Rescue Team and State Police K9 unit continued to search the crime scene. The collapse occurred on Thursday afternoon, but there were no reports of any deaths or injuries.
Footage taken by a camera at a middle school near the church showed the spire breaking and falling to the ground.
“The building was destroyed. The church is thriving and growing stronger. We trust in an steadfast God!” Engaging Heaven Church, which also worships in the space, wrote on Facebook. wrote.
Church roof collapses in coastal Connecticut
A church in New London, Conn., was captured on video collapsing on Thursday. (ISAAC Junior High School/Dr. Nicholas Spera/Local News X/TMX)
London's new mayor, Michael Passero, said at a press conference on Thursday that the circumstances of the collapse were “extremely fortunate”.
Photos taken at the scene showed debris trapped within the church grounds. No worship services were held at the time of the collapse.
“For us, it could have been a bigger disaster, but we lost an important historical building,” Passero said.
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Emergency crews respond to First Congregational Church in New London, Conn., after a collapse Thursday. (Dana Jensen/The Day/Associated Press)
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known. Passero said there was no prior indication that anything was wrong with the building and the city was not aware of any construction taking place on the property. It was not immediately clear whether he had been tested recently.
According to Connecticut architectural records, the stone building was built around 1850.
The collapse caused extensive damage to the roof of the church in New London, Connecticut. (Peter Foppi/The Day via AP)
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“We continue to bring state resources to the scene in New London to support the response,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said in a post on X.
Fox News' Stepheny Price and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
