ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (AP) -- A Roman Catholic church that has stood in this largely Cajun enclave since 1836 survived a fire thanks to quick action by a priest.
Candles on a rack beneath a window started the fire at the St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Murdock said.
``One of them must have got too hot,'' he said.
The Rev. Austin Leger noticed the blaze early and snuffed it out with an extinguisher before any real damage was done, Murdock said. The fire department was called to help remove the smoke that had collected inside the church.
A few of the parishioners showed up after hearing about the fire, including Carolyn Murdock, the wife of the assistant fire chief. She was baptized at the church and has attended services there ever since.
``I was happy (the damage) was not more than that,'' she said.
