Amsterdam's Vondel Church, near one of the city's most popular parks, was largely destroyed in a fire just as New Year celebrations were in full swing, local media reported on Thursday. The former Catholic Church's roughly 50-metre-high (164-feet) tower and the roof collapsed in the blaze, which an emergency services spokesperson said had made the 154-year-old structure "no longer salvageable." "It is a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church," lamented Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema.
The 50-metre-high (164-foot) tower collapsed, and the roof was badly damaged, but the structure was expected to remain intact, Amsterdam authorities said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. Emergency services had brought the fire under control by the morning. There were no injuries in the fire at the church. A large number of flats in the vicinity were evacuated, and about 90 households were temporarily without power.
It's devastating. My wife actually told me about it during the service. She had heard of it. I think it's just a reminder of how much evil there is in this world. And that really we as, as followers of Christ, need to do what we can to kind of combat it.
Multiple people have been hurt in a shooting at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, police said on Sunday morning. The Grand Blanc Township Police Department said in a Facebook post at 11:12 a.m. that there was an active shooter at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 4825 McCandlish Rd., and "there are multiple victims," and that the shooter "is down."