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Staten Island fire injures two, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 10:34 a.m. ET
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New York City Fire Department
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 10:34 a.m. ET
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A four-alarm fire scorched a commercial building along Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island on Saturday, but spared a nearby historic church, the fire department said.
The blaze left two people with minor injuries. That included a firefighter, who sustained burns to his leg, Kevin Woods, the department’s chief of operations, said at a press conference on Saturday evening.
The nearby Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne was not damaged in the blaze, Woods said. The exterior of the church was featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” as the site of the iconic baptism scene.
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse shortly before 6 p.m., Woods said.
“Upon arrival, we had heavy fire throughout the building,” he said. “There’s heavy, heavy damage to the structure. The roof did collapse.”
The fire then spread to the commercial building at 6450 Hylan Boulevard between Sharrot Avenue and Mt. Loretto.
Emergency responders were able to contain the fire by 8:27 p.m.
Woods said heavy winds made it especially challenging.
“It’s very windy out here tonight,” Woods said. “Our units did a great job with many of the flying embers, preventing additional structures from going on fire.”
Two schools and a senior center were “not affected by this whatsoever,” Woods said.
The source of the blaze is still under investigation.
Woods said firefighters would remain at the site overnight to “put water on the hotspots.”
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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