Massive flames were seen shooting from the steeple of Family Church Fredonia on the corner of Church and Temple streets before firefighters from Fredonia and Dunkirk were able to douse the building with water from aerial ladders. The property — which also houses the village’s clock — was purchased in 2015 by its current owners and had recently underwent a two-year, $1.3 million renovation project, according to the church’s website.

Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis said she was shocked when she arrived on scene and saw flames shooting from the top of the church. She said she assumed the entire property would be engulfed in flames, and was relieved firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading to the rest of the iconic building, which sits across the street from the village police department and Fredonia Opera House.

“It’s so sad,” Landis said.

A firefighter was taken to the hospital by ambulance, though it appeared the injuries were not serious. No others injuries were reported Friday.

Family Church purchased the property for $50,000 from the Fredonia Baptist Church after seeking a new home. Donald Howard, pastor of Fredonia Baptist, said in 2015 he was glad the building’s new owners planned to renovate the property.

“For years, we knew that it was time for our congregation to seek someone else to have this building,” Howard said at the time of the sale. “But what was most important to us was that this place remain a house of worship. There are many great community organizations in Fredonia, but we so desired that our building remain in use as a church.”

The church was built in 1853 and was the site for many prominent figures in the community. In addition, the Underground Railroad founded its membership in the building, Howard said.

Later, the Women Christian Temperance Union held their first meeting in the current fellowship hall. An addition to the building was completed in 1963.

Family Church, which began in 1977 as Bible Christian Fellowship, began offering services in its new Church Street location in April 2017 after extensive renovations were completed.

Landis said she was informed by Fredonia police that strong winds may have pried loose a section of the building’s gutters into a power transformer on the side of the church. Fire investigators did not list an official cause of the fire by press time Friday night.

“It was a ‘Wow (moment),'” Landis said. “I said, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to collapse. The whole thing is going to collapse.'”

“It’s an old building, a beautiful building,” she continued. “They did a lot of work — $1 million I think, and it’s really iconic. It’s part of our downtown, so it’s certainly sad to see this happening.”

As fire engulfed the clock tower many community members and students from nearby State University of New York at Fredonia watched with amazement. The fire occurred during “Not Fred Fest” in the village. The large gathering of students and outside people replaced the now-defunct “Fred Fest” end-of-the-year party at the Fredonia university in 2016.