A fire that burned down a 160-year-old Massachusetts church was likely started by a lightning strike, a fire chief said.
The First Congregational Church in Spencer caught fire Friday afternoon, when a storm was moving through the area. Video showed the steeple falling as the building was engulfed in flames.
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Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons said in an email Saturday that lightning likely started the fire. He said the building was a total loss.
No injuries were reported in the fire, which drew nearly 100 firefighters from close to 20 departments.
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There has been a church in the area since the 1700s. A church on the site was lost to fire in 1862.
Spencer, in central Massachusetts, is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Worcester.
