Nineteenth-century church with status of monument of national importance burns down in Lviv Oblast fire
A fire broke out in the village of Smozhe in Lviv Oblast in a wooden church dating back to the XIX century. The fire was extinguished, but the monument of national importance was destroyed to the ground, reported the Department of the State Emergency Service in Lviv Oblast on Saturday.
By the time the firefighters arrived, the flames in the church had spread to a large area and engulfed most of the building. The fire caused heavy smoke, and there was a threat that the fire would spread to the nearby wooden bell tower.
The State Emergency Service said that the fire was difficult to extinguish because it spread rapidly through the wooden structures of the church. The church's domes collapsed as a result of the fire.
The fire was extinguished around 1 PM. The fire completely destroyed the church, but the bell tower was saved. No one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel was built in the nineteenth century. Since 1979, it has been an architectural monument of state significance (now of national significance). It was shared by the communities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.