A congregation in New Windsor is in shock after the Unitarian Universalist Church burned to the ground Tuesday.

Fire officials say flames broke out at around 6 a.m. at the church on Vance Lane in the hamlet of Rock Tavern. Firefighters from six different companies arrived to control the raging fire. Fire officials say because of the design of the church, with its cathedral ceilings, the fire spread quickly.

The congregation dates back to the 1840s but all the records inside the church were destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.