The historic bell tower at Elijah Missionary Baptist Church was being torn down on Friday.

The church, dating back to the 1880s, was destroyed in a fire earlier this month. A space heater is to blame, investigators said.

There was hope the bell tower could be salvaged, but investigators later said the damage was too extensive.

Meanwhile, nearby homeowners have been working to clean up, after feet of water used to fight the flames flowed into their basements.

NewsChannel 13 will keep you posted on the demolition and what comes next for the church on WNYT.com and later newscasts.