Gone 2

At 8:25 p.m. the clock was still ticking on the eastern face of one of two steeples destroyed by fire Friday night.

Both steeples of the historic Old St. George Church were fully engulfed in flames after a two-alarm fire quickly escalated to a three-alarm fire around 7 p.m.

Firefighters struggled to bring the fire under control at the familiar landmark located at Calhoun and Scioto streets near the University of Cincinnati campus and across the street from Corryville Catholic School.

Several fire crews called to the scene were instructed to pull back as large embers began falling and there was fear that both steeples appeared ready to collapse.

With both steeples glowing like Roman candles, the left steeple of a historic Cincinnati landmark collapsed at 7:44 p.m.

The remaining steeple still towered above the more than 130-year-old church, until it collapsed at 7:53 p.m. – while flames still billowed from its base.

With both steeples almost completely collapsed, the blaze appeared diminished.

According to Cincinnati fire officials, it also appeared fire was prevented from spreading to the remainder of the four-story high, historic brick church.