The Herald’s contributor who mans the scanners was on scene at a five-alarm blaze tonight in Lynn, where a church has been gutted.

The temperature is a bitter-cold 23 degrees and is expected to fall just as firefighters keep pumping water out at the fire. The initial call came in at about 8 p.m. for a church on fire, but the fire chief reported no injuries. Six people have been displaced, however.

The wind gusts are still a worry with the flames seen for miles. The fire reportedly started on Estes Street before moving to a church on Chestnut Street in Lynn. That church was reduced to a pile of burning rubble, contributing Herald photographer Glenn Preston reports.

Other nearby buildings were also evacuated to keep occupants safe, Preston added, saying early on it was “firestorm conditions” at the center of the inferno.

Lynn firefighters at work. (Glenn Preston, photos)

More photos from Glenn Preston: