Fire torches church in Westchester

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (FOX 5 NY) - Fueled by the wooden structure, a fire ripped through a church in Westchester County Thursday morning.

Firefighters battled flames and heavy smoke at the Zion Baptist Church on Lockwood Avenue in New Rochelle.

The fire chief said the church, built in 1924, has a lot of empty spaces.

"A lot of dry wood, so once the fire gets going, there's a lot of fuel inside, sad to say," New Rochelle Fire Chief Andy Sandor told reporters. "That's not a good combination when you're thinking about fire. There's a lot of little areas that crews have to get into and open up."

Firefighters from Yonkers also responded to help, according to LoHud.com.

FOX 5 NY reported this story from New York City.