Boonville, NY, Fire Chief, Firefighters Hurt in Church Explosion
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Boonville, N.Y. - Four firefighters and a church pastor are in critical condition following a “catastrophic” explosion at an Oneida County church Tuesday morning, according to the State Police.
The Boonville Volunteer Fire Company chief and three firefighters - along with the pastor of the church - were all inside the building when it exploded, according to Jack Keller, a spokesperson for State Police.
The blast and fire at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church on Route 12 in the town of Boonville left little of the church standing.
The five injured people were transported to either Upstate Hospital in Syracuse or Wynn Hospital in Utica:
- David Pritchard Jr., 60, Boonville fire chief
- Brandon Pitts, 43, pastor
- Allan Austin, 67, Boonville firefighter
- Nicholas Amicucci, 43, Boonville firefighter
- Richard Czajka, 71, Boonville firefighter
All five are listed in critical but stable condition, Keller said.
Calls were initially made to have the victims airlifted to hospitals, but helicopters were called off due to fog, according to Dean Yauger, first assistant chief of the Boonville fire department.
Firefighters were initially called to the church around 10:23 a.m. for a reported gas odor, Keller said. The explosion occurred about seven minutes later, just after 10:30 a.m., Yauger said.
Four people were in the church’s basement when the furnace activated, triggering an explosion, Keller said. A firefighter on the first floor attempting to ventilate the building was thrown against a wall by the blast, he said.
The church posted on its Facebook page that the church’s pastor and another congregation member were at the church and had called the propane company due to the gas smell.
The church has heating appliances and a kitchen that use propane. The propane tank is 100 feet from the building.
There is no indication of criminal activity, but the investigation is ongoing, Keller said.
As of 4 p.m., around 40 of Boonville’s 60 firefighters were still on scene putting out hotspots, Yauger said. He said seven departments and around 80 firefighters were still on scene.
Route 12 near the church is expected to remain closed until Wednesday morning.
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