On 16 June, the historic 17th-century Church of St Helena in Nowy Sącz was set on fire. The damage is immense, including the loss of a late Renaissance-Baroque altar with paintings from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and Renaissance works from the 1580s. The tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament, 3 altars and historical paintings had to be removed. The police have arrested one suspect.
Paweł Motyka of the fire brigade: "The fire spread in the space between the roofing and the insulation under the roof, which was made of sawdust. The fire spread very quickly. The firefighters are removing the formwork covering the wooden structure of the walls and pouring water on the sawdust used for insulation, which is smouldering".
Father Stanislaw Michalik, the parish priest: "These are huge losses. Practically nothing could be saved from the historic altars inside. It is difficult to calculate their value now. It costs more than PLN 40,000 to maintain one of these altars. These are ancient, medieval sculptures. We still don't know the cause of the fire. We are waiting for the conservator's decision on what to do next. We want to rebuild the church."
Video: YouTube
Update: A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged with arson. Total damage is estimated at around PLN 1 million.
Justyna Basiaga, a police officer: "After the fire was extinguished, police officers from Nowy Sącz, under the supervision of the prosecutor's office and with the participation of, among others, a monument conservator and a firefighting expert, inspected the scene and conducted investigative activities, including the identification and questioning of witnesses and the securing of CCTV footage. An investigation has been launched into the matter. The police have arrested one suspect.