A powerful explosion devastated the Abundant Life Fellowship Church in this rural community on Tuesday morning, February 17, 2026, leaving five people—including the church’s pastor and four firefighters—critically injured, authorities said.

The blast occurred around 10:25–10:30 a.m. at the church located on State Route 12 in the Town of Boonville, Oneida County, approximately 50 miles northeast of Syracuse. Emergency responders were initially dispatched after reports of a strong gas odor inside the building.

According to New York State Police, a preliminary investigation indicates that four individuals were in the church basement when the furnace activated, triggering the explosion.

A fifth person a firefighter was on the first floor attempting to ventilate the structure and was thrown against a wall by the force of the blast.

The injured have been identified as:

– Brandon Pitts, 43, pastor of Abundant Life Fellowship Church

– David Pritchard Jr., 60, Boonville Fire Chief

– Allan Austin, 67, Boonville Fire Department firefighter

– Nicholas Amicucci, 43, Boonville Fire Department firefighter

– Richard Czajka, 71, Boonville Fire Department firefighter

All five victims were transported to regional hospitals, including Upstate University Hospital and Wynn Hospital, where they remain in critical but stable condition.

The explosion caused catastrophic damage to the church building, which officials now consider “destroyed.”

Thick black smoke billowed from the site following the blast.

State police emphasized that there is no indication of criminal activity at this time, and the incident appears to stem from a propane or gas-related issue in the heating system.

The investigation is ongoing.Community members and first responder agencies have expressed support for the injured and their families as recovery efforts continue.

Russia / Getty image

Russia has “attempted to fully block” WhatsApp in the country, the company said, as the Kremlin continues to tighten restrictions on messaging apps while the the regulator is pushing for a state-developed app as an alternative to WhatsApp.

BBC reports that Meta-owned WhatsApp said the move aimed to push more than 100 million of its app users in Russia to a “state-owned surveillance app”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Meta could resume operations if it “complies with [the law] and enters into dialogue”, but stood “no chance” if it refused.

Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor said earlier this week it was further curbing access to messaging app Telegram as well, citing a lack of security.

Telegram is highly popular in Russia and widely used by its forces in Ukraine.

Pro-war bloggers have complained that the move was hampering communications on the ground.Russia has argued that both WhatsApp and Telegram have refused to store Russian users’ data in the country as required by law.

WhatsApp said it was doing everything it could to keep people connected.

“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” it said in a statement.

Bangladesh is holding its first election since student-led protests in 2024 ended the 15-year rule of its increasingly autocratic leader, Sheikh Hasina.

BBC reports that as many as 1,400 protesters were killed during the uprising – with Hasina accused of having directly ordered the crackdown, an allegation she denies.

Her party, the Awami League, has been banned from contesting this election

The vote now pits the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which has joined forces with a party born out of the student uprising.

People are voting for a new government and also taking part in a referendum to change the constitution.

An interim government, led by Nobel Peace Price laureate Muhammad Yunus, has led Bangladesh since Hasina fledIn November, a court in Bangladesh sentenced Hasina to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown