Easter Sunday took a frightening turn for East New York residents when flames engulfed Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii Church on Seigel Street.

The fire, which reached five alarms, drew the attention of parishioners, many of whom were participating in a 1 p.m. Easter Sunday Mass conducted in Spanish.

“All of a sudden, flames came out,” Valcassel, a longtime parishioner, said. “That’s where I freaked out. It was getting close to the church.”

Valcassel's account of the event revealed how his Easter visit with family quickly transformed into a nightmare.

“I look up, I see smoke,” he said. “I say, ‘Oh my God, that’s my church, it's burning.’ It was where the priests and the nuns sleep at. That’s where we have our meeting with the teenagers.”

Fire officials said while approximately 150 parishioners evacuated the church in an orderly fashion, three civilians and three firefighters sustained minor injuries, including one firefighter who fell from the second floor to the first during the blaze.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn said that while the rectory and parish center suffered extensive damage, the church itself, where services are conducted, sustained only smoke and water damage, largely thanks to a closed door separating the affected areas.

“To see these guys, over 200 guys respond, keep the fire under control,” said John Quaglione, deputy press secretary for the Diocese. “They kept the door closed, the parishioners. It didn’t go into the church, and no one died. It’s almost an Easter miracle.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

In the meantime, the city’s Department of Buildings says in the interest of public safety and due to the extent of the damage, it has issued a full vacate order on the structure.