Suddenly, on the night between September 15 and 16, a fire broke out in the Adventist Church of Piazza Vulture in Rome. The flames destroyed a room on the ground floor, damaged the electrical system, the bathroom, the entrance, the entire glass facade, the doors, the air conditioning system of that area, and various equipment.
A needy family lived inside the building and gave the alarm after hearing some noise. Immediate intervention by firefighters and police prevented the fire from spreading.
"The church had fire extinguishers and they were also used," said Cornelio Lupu, pastor of the Romanian church that meets in the building, "If the firefighters arrived 15 minutes later, nothing would have been left of our church."
The three women temporarily housed in the building were taken to the hospital for slight smoke inhalation and then almost immediately released.
"The cause of the fire is not yet known," said Massimiliano Paris, head of the property management of the Italian Church, "We have to wait for the official reports from the police and firefighters."
The flames caused such dense smoke that it has invaded the entire building, and the heaviest residues have permeated everywhere, requiring a restoration and sanitation intervention. At the moment the church is rendered unsafe.
"We have taken action immediately to limit the time of inactivity, but the procedures to follow are different and relatively slow," added M. Paris.
Seeing their 'wounded' church breaks the hearts of the pastor and the members.
"We have suffered damage for tens of thousands of euros," said pastor Lupu, "We trust in the Lord that He will give us the strength to recover and bounce back."
