Hundreds of firefighters and EMS personnel responded to a massive fire at the Mount Loretto campus on Staten Island this evening, where flames ripped through a vacant warehouse behind a well-known church in Pleasant Plains, injuring a firefighter. The New York City Fire Dept. said nearly 200 fire fighters and EMS personnel arrived just after 5:40 p.m. and found heavy fire throughout the building. “We had heavy fire throughout the building. We immediately went to a defensive operation,” FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said. “We set up multiple large caliber streams, tower ladders, and hand lines.” One firefighter suffered minor burns to his legs, the FDNY said. (Image: NBC New York via Citizen App) The call initially came in as a fire at the church on the campus, but crews found an old warehouse behind the house of worship engulfed in flames. The warehouse had been vacant for at least five years. “There’s heavy, heavy damage to the structure. The roof did collapse, and right now we’re maintaining a collapse zone around that structure,” Woods said. Firefighters also faced challenges getting enough water to the area to battle the blaze. A man who lives in the area and said he is a retired FDNY lieutenant described limited hydrant volume. “The water volume in the hydrants isn’t sufficient to supply enough water to put a big fire like that out. So they called a satellite unit in,” he said. The Mount Loretto campus is run by Catholic Charities of Staten Island and offers a range of community programs. Woods said the campus includes 36 structures. “This campus holds 36 structures, including two schools, a senior center, and others,” Woods said. The FDNY said none of those other structures were damaged, despite strong winds that sent burning embers through the air. “Some of the challenges, the wind. It’s very windy out here tonight. Our units did a great job with many of the flying embers, preventing additional structures from going on fire,” Woods added. Fire marshals are investigating to determine how the fire started. Crews were expected to remain at the site overnight to monitor conditions. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less