Church blaze forces Warsaw devotees to flee

A tableau of Christ's tomb burst into flames at a Warsaw church during Easter Sunday mass, sending worshippers fleeing in panic, PAP news agency reported yesterday. Firefighters believe the blaze was started by a candle within the traditional tableau...

A tableau of Christ's tomb burst into flames at a Warsaw church during Easter Sunday mass, sending worshippers fleeing in panic, PAP news agency reported yesterday.

Firefighters believe the blaze was started by a candle within the traditional tableau depicting the stone tomb in which Jesus's body was laid to rest following his crucifixion. It quickly engulfed the side nave and damaged art works at St Andrew's, the church of Warsaw artists, PAP said.

"The fire spread so quickly that none of the some 250 worshippers could extinguish it before hurriedly leaving the service," PAP reported fireman Grzegorsz Trzeciak as saying.

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