The rectory at St. John the Evangelist Church was heavily damaged by fire early Monday, but not before the pastor tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher.
The Rev. Jeremy P. St. Martin burned his hands in his attempt to smother the growing fire.
Minutes earlier, while on the third floor, a voice alarm alerted him to smoke conditions on the second floor.
"He came down and tried to fight the fire himself with a fire extinguisher," said St. John Deacon Charles J. Kelley.
Rev. St. Martin had some success before the extinguisher emptied, and by the time he returned with another one, the flames had spread, Deacon Kelley said.
Rev. St. Martin was treated at a hospital for burns to his hands. He was back at the scene within hours, talking to fire officials.
The fire, reported about 2 a.m., caused extensive damage to the three-story rectory, on Highland Street next to the church.
"We're grateful he's doing well," Deacon Kelley said of the parish priest. "It's easier to replace a rectory than to replace a pastor."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the state fire marshal and Townsend fire and police.
21 дек 2020
