Overview
- The rectory at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church suffered a major explosion and fire around 3 p.m. Saturday that left the building heavily damaged.
- A neighbor reported smoke and flames and Father Jimmy Drennan—who had left minutes earlier to prepare for Mass—returned to find the house engulfed, but he was unharmed.
- Emergency crews extinguished the blaze and no other homes in the Highland Hills neighborhood were damaged and no injuries were reported.
- Drennan celebrated his regular Masses the next day and publicly thanked police, firefighters and EMTs while he stays temporarily with a friend.
- Investigators are continuing to probe the cause of the explosion and fire, and the parish will need decisions on rectory repairs and housing for clergy once officials release findings.