<p class="speakable">New York State Police are investigating after five people were injured in an explosion at the Abundant Life Fellowship church in <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/northeast/new-york" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Boonville, New York</a>.</p><p class="speakable">Church leaders said their pastor and a congregation member were at the building and called first responders just before 10:30 a.m. local time to report "an obvious gas leak."</p><p>While the pastor, congregant and a Boonville Fire Department firefighter were inside the building, an explosion occurred, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/faith-values" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the church</a> and New York State Police.</p><p>Authorities said five people were taken to Wynn Hospital in Utica, with the Boonville firefighter and a civilian listed in critical condition.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/explosion-pennsylvania-senior-home-prompts-mass-casualty-response" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>EXPLOSION AT PENNSYLVANIA SENIOR HOME PROMPTS MASS CASUALTY RESPONSE</strong></a></p><p>Three others are being treated for injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.</p><p>New York State Police said the church sustained "<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/fires" rel="noopener" target="_blank">catastrophic damage</a>," and the church noted the building was nearly fully engulfed in flames and smoke within 15 minutes of the explosion. </p><p>The church was reportedly heated by propane cylinders, but the exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/police-and-law-enforcement" rel="noopener" target="_blank">to police.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/more-than-200-people-evaluated-tennessee-carbon-monoxide-leak-infiltrates-university-facility" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE EVALUATED IN TENNESSEE AFTER CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK INFILTRATES UNIVERSITY FACILITY</strong></a></p><p>Officials said there is <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/finance/investigations" rel="noopener" target="_blank">no indication of criminal activity</a>. </p><p>Members of the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Uniform Force remain at the scene assisting with the investigation.</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a></p><p>"Please just pray for peace, especially for Pastor Brandon and MaeLeah," the church wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/getabundantlife/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Facebook post</a>. "And go ahead and lift a lot of praise for the Lord’s protection over all the things NOT happening at church at the time of this emergency."</p><p>New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the tragedy on social media, noting she has been briefed.</p><p>"State Fire, EMS, and Office of Emergency Management personnel are on the scene," Hochul wrote in an X post. "Praying for the full recovery of the five individuals injured."</p><p>New York State Police and the Oneida County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to additional inquiries from Fox News Digital.</p>