Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 9, 2022 / 08:30 am
One person was injured in a fire that engulfed Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hostyn, Texas, Thursday morning which the local county sheriff's department is saying appears to have been caused by a gas leak.
According to a press release from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, dispatchers received calls of an explosion at the church just before 6:30 a.m. The church has 7:00 a.m. Mass on Thursdays.
According to KXAN, Fayette County Office of Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau said that a woman was in the church lighting a candle when the explosion happened.
After responding to the scene of the fire, authorities discovered an elderly women with burns. She was immediately transferred to Dell-Seton Hospital in Austin, the press release says.
Sheriff Keith Korenek is asking for prayer for the injured woman in the press release.
The press release says that first responders gathered information which indicates the fire may have been caused by a gas leak. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, it says.
A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Victoria provided no comment as of Thursday morning.
The fire was reported early Thursday morning in a video posted by The Fayette County Record. The Record's post says, “Holy Rosary Church in Hostyn is on fire this morning. Numerous emergency crews now on scene. No further details at this time.”
That video was reposted by the Diocese of Victoria. The diocese said in its post to “Please keep Father Felix Twumasi and the parishioners of Holy Rosary Church in Hostyn in your prayers. We will post updates as information is available.”
Father Felix K. Twumasi is the parochial administrator of the parish.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page multiple other photos of the fire Thursday morning.
“Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek is reporting that FM 2436 at Hostyn is currently shut down due to a large fire at the Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hostyn,” the post says.
“The roadway is completely closed at this time,” the post says. “Please avoid the area so that first responders may do their jobs!”
This is a developing story.
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