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South Boston Church Fire Caused By Electrical Short Circuit

The inside of the St. John the Baptist Albanian Orthodox Church in South Boston the day after the five-alarm blaze. (Boston Fire Department)
The inside of the St. John the Baptist Albanian Orthodox Church in South Boston the day after the five-alarm blaze. (Boston Fire Department)

The Boston Fire Department says an electrical short circuit caused a five-alarm fire that gutted a South Boston church Wednesday.

Investigators say a light fixture in the vestibule area behind the main altar of the St. John the Baptist Albanian Orthodox Church short circuited, causing the blaze.

Eight firefighters suffered minor injuries in the four hours it took to knock down the fire that resulted in $1 million in damage to the historic church that sits at the corner of Broadway and F Street.

Officials have not yet said whether the church will have to be torn down or when the 10 nearby residents who were evacuated as a safety precaution in case the structure were to collapse will be allowed to return to their homes.

This program aired on August 22, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

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