Prayer vigil to be held after fire destroys historic church

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — We have new details on a Christmas day fire at a historic church in Rochester.

It happened while crews were battling flames at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Jefferson Avenue Saturday evening.

We’re told that no one was inside of the church when the fire started.

Fire officials said one firefighter at the scene was injured. He’s been taken to the hospital and will remain off-duty.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation which destroyed a significant portion of the historic, 100+ year old House of Worship.

Pastor Hanson Drysdale, Senior Pastor of the Jefferson Avenue SDA Church, will be joined by Church Leaders, Church Members, and Officials from the parent organization, the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and various municipalities within the Greater Rochester Community for prayer Sunday afternoon at 309 Jefferson Avenue, Rochester, NY 14611.

Organizers say the goal for the Prayer Vigil is to bring peace of mind, clarity and healing to all those impacted and to seek guidance and direction from God as we chart the path forward to rebuild and restore Jefferson.

That’s happening at 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

Everyone is welcome to join.