Boonville: An explosion at a church in Boonville, a village in Oneida County in upstate New York, after a reported gas leak left five people in critical but stable condition on Tuesday, according to local media and emergency services.

According to Anadolu Agency, Grace Church Utica, New York, posted on Facebook urging prayers for the Abundant Life Church on SR 12 in Boonville after the explosion resulted in multiple injuries. Rescue personnel were dispatched following the blast at approximately 10:45 am local time (1545 GMT), as reported by the Daily Sentinel, a newspaper serving the Utica-Rome metropolitan area.

The explosion was preceded by a report of a gas odor at 10:23 am, with the Boonville Fire Department responding alongside other emergency personnel. The explosion occurred when a member of the Boonville Fire Department had entered the structure during the response, according to New York State Police.

A church member posted on the church's Facebook page that the pastor and another congregant had contacted a propane company to address "an obvious gas leak" shortly before the explosion. The post mentioned that the pastor, along with a few other responders, was in the building at the time of the explosion and sustained burns requiring medical treatment.

All five injured individuals, identified as the Boonville fire chief, the pastor of the church, and three members of the Boonville Fire Department, were transported to nearby hospitals. The building was "nearly fully engulfed in flames and smoke" about 15 minutes after the blast, according to the church member's post.

The church sustained "catastrophic damage," police stated, adding that there is no indication of criminal activity at this time. The cause of the explosion was not immediately determined and remains under investigation.