New York cathedral suffers fire damage

Christian Century, Jan 2, 2002

Just a week after a potentially devastating fire destroyed a section of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the famed Episcopal church opened its doors for Christmas services and celebrated the successful efforts to save the century-old structure. "Christmas is always a miracle," New York Episcopal Bishop Mark Sisk told those gathered at the first of two Christmas Eve services.

"It is always a joy to celebrate that miracle," Sisk said. "And it is a special joy and miracle to be able to celebrate in this place on this night." The fire on December 18 destroyed part of the north section of cathedral, including a gift shop located in the north transept. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but authorities have speculated it may have begun with faulty electrical cords in the gift shop.

The New York City Fire Department responded quickly, and the cathedral's massive stone walls apparently helped contain the fire, preventing the five-alarm blaze from spreading into the nave. Still, some stained glass windows located near the north transept remained boarded up Christmas Day, and the lingering smell from the fire was immediately noticeable upon entering the cathedral--though the odor was quickly replaced by the intense smell of incense used in the holiday services. Two of the cathedral's 12 Barberini tapestries--woven for Pope Urban VIII in the 17th century--were heavily damaged by the fire.

At Christmas morning services, Canon Jay Wegman, who gave the day's sermon, noted that exactly a week ago the nave and altar area had been mired in a foot of water. He said that words "could not describe the horror" he and other cathedral staffers felt upon hearing of the blaze, and that words could not describe the extreme gratitude he and others felt toward the New York Fire and Police Departments and the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which supplied water pumps used in the New York City subway system to remove water from the cathedral following the fire.

East Harlem resident Gwen Goodwin was among those attending the Christmas Eve and morning services. She had tearfully watched a week earlier as the fire hit part of the cathedral. She said she still felt a tinge of melancholy. Recent services at the cathedral had had that effect on her, she said, recalling in particular the memorial service at St. John the Divine following the World Trade Center attacks.

Nonetheless, she said the fact that St. John the Divine was still standing nearly intact "was amazing," and she added that it would have been devastating if New York had experienced another crippling blow to a famed structure so soon after the attacks on the twin towers. "It's like we--New York--pushed the fire back," she said, praising the work of emergency personnel. But, she added, the fire was a sober reminder "of how fragile life can be."

--RNS