Two Orthodox Churches Burned Almost The Same Time - One In New York; Another In Australia; Coincidence Perhaps?

Is this a coincidence? Two Orthodox churches burned almost the same time. One of the burned down churches is located in Manhattan, while the other one is thousands of miles away in East Melbourne, Australia.

Two Orthodox Churches Aflame

The once mighty structure of the Saint Sava Cathedral was reduced to smoldering ruins, according to Daily Mail. Fire broke out late Sunday which engulfed the old structure in flames, leaving nothing but an unsightly pile of burnt wood in the heart of Manhattan.

Heartbreaking scene of the Serbian #Orthodox Cathedral in New York. W/ strong faith in Risen Christ we'll rebuild it pic.twitter.com/1lpqYC1p9d

— Sava Janjic (@SavaJanjic) May 2, 2016

In another part of the globe, another Orthodox church was blazing. ABC said that this Greek Orthodox church is said to be Victoria's oldest. The structure gutted by fire caused approximately $500,000 damage. Although the fire was now under control, 200 people were made to evacuate to prevent harm from befalling them.

Fire damages Victoria's oldest Greek Orthodox Church https://t.co/Bxl6kN6IsA pic.twitter.com/lzgiTRfeOW — The Age (@theage) May 2, 2016

Saint Sava Cathedral

The Saint Sava Cathedral is a historic Serbian Church which has stood the normal wear and tear brought by time. It was unfortunate that the structure caught fire and was reduced to a heap of charred and burnt materials.

What remained was the charred exterior walls which does not provide a very good picture of the original structure. Reports have it that the cause of the fire was not yet determined. A spokesman from the fire department said that they wouldn't also know for a while.

Investigations as to the cause are still being undertaken. What was known was that the fire broke out hours after the celebrations were held last Sunday honoring the Orthodox Easter.

East Melbourne Greek Orthodox Church

The East Melbourne Greek Orthodox Church was a 130-year old church, home to century old icons. Although the fire engulfed almost everything, it was quite fortunate that nobody was inside the church when the fire broke out.

Parish priest Father Kosmas Damianides was shocked when he learned of the incident. He said that it was devastating that the said church caught on fire.