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UIJI 012002
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CLASS OF 2002 HIGHLIGHTED IN CENTERFOLD tribune «
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j JUNE 28-JULY 4, 2002
VOL. 40 NO. 26 >EFMM3 BETHPAGE, ISLAND TREES, OLD BETHPAGE, PLAINVIEW, SEAFORD AND PLAINEDGE FORTY CENTS
Lightening Strikes St. Paul's
Firefighters Quickly Get Fire Under Control, Church Severely Damaged
By Linda Manga no
"It all happened so
quickly. We heard a huge
noise and the brightest
flash we'd ever seen. Then
the fire broke out and we
saw the flames." That is
what a resident remembered
when lightning hit St. Paul's
Lutheran Church on Stewart
Avenue on Wednesday
sometime after 6:00 in the
evening. A bolt of lightning
struck the rear of the
church's roof causing a
huge fire and requiring not
only our own Bethpage Fire
Department but also ten
other volunteer fire
department companies
including Levittown,
Hicksville, Plainview and
Wantagh to be called to the
scene. The area around the
church was immediately
roped off as fire fighters
worked quickly and
strategically to get the fire
under control, which was
accomplished by
approximately 7:30pm.
When we first arrived at
the scene the skies around
. St. Paul's Church were thick
black with smoke as the fire
raged in the rear of the
church. Many residents
were lined up around the
fire department barricades
in utter disbelief of what had
happened. One resident told
us she was at the train
station picking up her
husband when she saw a
huge flash of light and a
noise that sounded like an
explosion. She said she
knew lightening had hit
something, but that she
wasn 't sure what. Another
resident said she smelled the
smoke and looked out her
upstairs window and saw
theflames.
Important artifacts as
well as religions objects
were able to be removed
from the church although it
was reported that the church
interior was completely
destroyed and sustained
much water and smoke
damage. Rev. Mario Ancira
examined the damage and
Gilda Omage photos
said that the fire severely
damaged the altar and that
the pipe organ was
destroyed. The building has
now been condemned until a
representative from the
Town of Oyster examines
the structure.
Many parishioners were
in tears as they watched in
horror, although most were
optimistic about rebuilding
(continued on page 13)
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