On Friday night, a huge fire broke out at the “Nacer de Nuevo” church in San Nicolas, and left it completely destroyed. The blaze left the building in ruins, and it is suspected that a freezer or another appliance may have caused an electrical short circuit. There were fears that the funeral home next door might also be affected, so staff there were preparing in case the flames spread. Fortunately, firefighters managed to contain the fire before it could reach that far.
People who were inside the building at the time were able to escape safely. Pastor Claudio Hasseth, who leads the church, and a group of missionaries from Uruguay have been in Aruba working with people struggling with addiction and with women involved in prostitution who need support. “The Lord brought us here to do this work. I know there is a purpose behind everything. We are sad, but not discouraged,” Hasseth said.
As noted, people were inside the property — in this case, Pastor Hasseth’s house — along with his young son, when the fire started around 8 pm. It was noticed that something went wrong with the freezer, possibly causing a short circuit. Some people managed to help rescue what they could, but many belongings were lost.
Nacer de Nuevo carries out several community projects, offering assistance to people living with addiction and others facing difficult circumstances. They had been housing a man who had struggled with addiction for 30 years and had been receiving help for the past six months, along with another person who was living on the property. Now, true to the church’s own name, they will have to be “born again” and begin rebuilding from scratch.
Anyone who can help with clothing, beds, other materials, or even a place for the family to stay temporarily is asked to call 641-2956.
