In Fort Scott, Kansas, many fire crews fought a fire at a Catholic church all through Monday night and into early Tuesday morning.
On August 29, at about nine o’clock, fire departments were sent in response to reports of a fire at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church. They found that the building’s southeast corner was on fire. Even after the fire was put out, the church was still burning around noon on August 30.
Over 500 onlookers watched as Fort Scott photographer Kenny Felt captured the fire on camera. According to him, he overheard firemen discussing which artifacts to try to save from the fire and they decided that statues could be the best option. However, he said that a priest who was there informed the firemen that he wanted to save “the Communion materials.”
He was obviously concerned about it, according to Felt. Felt, a non-Catholic, said that he thought the church’s pastor, Father Yancey Burgess, was the priest. Burgess was the priest who saved the goods for Communion, according to Sergeant Bill Downey Jr. of the Fort Scott Police Department.
Burgess is shown in photographs taken by Felt during the fire reaching for artifacts on the altar while being escorted by a fireman. Prior to publication, CNA tried to contact Burgess for comment but never got a response.
Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Fort Scott, Kan., damaged after a fire, Aug. 30, 2022. / Kenny Felt
