Nun forced to leap out of window after Staten Island convent fire
A nun walks through St. Peters Square on Feb. 24, 2013 in Vatican City.
A 45-year-old nun was forced to jump out of a window to escape a fire at the St. Joseph Hill Convent in Staten Island, a blaze that authorities are treating as "suspicious."
The fire at the convent began at 5:30 AM, reports the Associated Press, and was under control about an hour later, after a swift response from fire crews.
Sister Regina Geric leapt from the convent window and was taken to the Staten Island University Hospital with serious spinal injuries, reports WABC-TV New York, while another nun was treated at the scene.
Geric remains in the intensive care unit of the hospital, according to Staten Island Live, which added that the FDNY is treating the blaze as suspicious.
Four firefighters were injured as they fought the fire, added WABC-TV, while over 100 responded to the scene of the incident. The convent rests on the grounds of the St Joseph Hill Academy, which teaches children from kindergarten through to the 12th grade.
The St. Joseph Hill Convent was trashed by youths over the course of two days before the nuns took occupancy in August, reports Staten Island Live. No connection between the two incidents has been made.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!