On Sunday morning, May 11, 2008, at
approximately 5:30 a.m. , the Village of Wappingers Fire
Department and Mobile Life Support Ambulance were dispatched for
a possible structure fire on South Avenue. Firefighters arrived
to find the under construction Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
completely involved in flames with numerous exposures, including
the present church building. Addition alarms were sounded that
brought mutual aid from the Hughsonville, New Hamburg, and
Rombout Fire Departments to the scene, with Arlington and New
Hackensack providing station coverage. Numerous master streams
and exposure lines were placed into operation, and the fire was
prevented from spreading to the exposures. The church, which was
scheduled to be completed this fall and was going to be 17,000
square feet and cost $9 million to complete, was a total loss.
Numerous agencies are investigating the incident, including the
Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, The D.C. Sheriff's
Office, the Village of Wappingers P.D., and the Federal A.T.F.
-Fire News photos by Bill Johnson
