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First responders in Northern Westchester and Putnam counties were dispatched to Assembly of God Church in Yorktown Heights, on Mahopac Avenue, at around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 30, where there was a reported fire that broke out in the building.
Church officials said a neighbor and congregant’s German Shepherd, named Bear, barked to get his owner's attention when he spotted flames Assembly of God.
The owner was able to call 911, helped get staff members out of harm's way, and first responders managed to save the church before the flames caused irreparable damage.
Flames were knocked down in approximately 20 minutes, officials noted.
“We want to thank God first and foremost followed by, the countless first responders that came to help, and finally, Bear, the BEST dog in the world for keeping us from experiencing a devastating loss here at the church," Yorktown Assembly of God posted on Facebook.
“We know God was there tonight protecting our building,” they continued. “The fire started on the exterior of the building and was just starting to spread through the attic above the sanctuary before the firefighters were able to put out the flames.”
The roof of the church was damaged, as well as the exterior of the building. The sanctuary also suffered water damage, but the building will still be habitable after repairs.
One fire official reportedly said that if first responders had been alerted to the fire five or 10 minutes later, the entire building could have been engulfed in flames.
According to the Westchester County Cause and Origin team, the cause of the fire was electrical in nature and determined to be accidental.
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