1 Year After Church Burns to Ground in Blaze, Rebuilding Plans Take Shape, Parishioners Remember

NORTH FORK, NY - One year after a beloved church in Southold burned to the ground in a devastating blaze, the congregation continues to stand strong in efforts to rebuild — and takes time to remember their staggering loss.

According to Southold Town Police, Officer Robert Haas was on patrol when he saw that First Universalist Church, located at 51900 Route 25, was up in flames at about 11:28 p.m. on March 14, 2015.

And on Tuesday, congregants, still heartbroken, reflected on that fateful night.

"I's nice that we have space to meet at Holy Trinity in Greenport," said Alan Stewart, thanking Holy Trinity for their kindness. "But it's still so hard to drive by our old spot on the hill and not see that beautiful church of ours. I can imagine losing a home or school, or even a place of work, to fire. But a church? Especially one that was as pretty as the old Southold UU Church? Unbelievable."

After the church was first destroyed, the congregation met at the Custer Observatory on Main Bayview Road,finding strength and support in one another. The church, they said, was truly its members, not a building.

Still, though, tears were shed and memories shared at a service to say good-bye at a service in April.

Congregant Peggy Richards, who had lost her own home in a tragic blaze just weeks before, had been staying in the parsonage of the church when the fire wiped away a place she felt was a haven.

"I can't believe it's been a year since both fires. It will be heartwarming to see the congregations' dreams come to life on that plot," she said Tuesday. Richards has found a new home, too, and has seen life reborn in a new puppy; she lost all her pets in the house fire.

Meanwhile, plans to rebuild the church continue: On the church's Facebook page this week, a message of hope: "The building team has been working hard! A lot of the work has been learning about what's required and what is allowed by the town and state — not surprisingly, there is quite a lot to learn about such a major undertaking."

The church has asked for input for congregants' ideas for a "dream church," about how they would like the new building to serve the the congregation and the community, and how they would like the new building to look.

The devastating fire rocked the Southold community, with condolences flooding the church’s Facebook page the morning after the horrible night.

“I am so heartbroken to hear the news about the fire that destroyed this beautiful church,” one woman wrote. “This is a tragic loss to the community. I grew up in Southold and will keep you all in my prayers.”

Photo by Andrew Miller