TAMPA BAY, FL—A charismatic prayer service turned deadly yesterday after a local band leader prayed to be “slain in the Spirit.”
The tragedy struck just after 3:00 p.m. local time, when witnesses say a massive pillar of fire and brimstone erupted above or near St. Lawrence Catholic Church on the 100 block of Palm Street. The blast soon engulfed several city blocks, with the heat being felt up to 7 miles away.
At least 1404 people have been confirmed dead, but authorities fear that number will only increase as bodies are still being recovered from the rubble. Local census counts estimate an additional 775 people are still missing. And family members are demanding answers, even as casualties continue to mount.
“I just want to know why someone would do this!” an emotional Gwen Clark, 58, of Oldsmar told us. She says she cannot get a hold of her niece who lives in the area, and is fearing the worst.
19-year-old Avery Lorne of Westchase felt similarly. “I could have lost friends in that inferno. Whoever is responsible, I hope they get the full weight of Divine Justice.”
Reports indicate the disaster was triggered by one man close to the epicenter of the eruption. Video released to the public shows Brad Sherwood, 26, leading a worship band in St. Lawrence’s annual “Festival of Fire” charismatic retreat at the time of the incident. At 2:56 p.m., Sherwood raised his right hand and prayed, “Father God, we ask that you slay us all gathered here in your Spirit tonight.” 3 minutes and 47 seconds later, he added, “Father God, I pray that you pour your Spirit not just on us, but on the entire Spring Hill area! Abba God, I ask that every man, woman, and child be slain in the Spirit at this very moment.”
28 seconds later, at 3:01 p.m., there’s a sudden flash of light accompanied by a massive noise, and the video ends abruptly.
“All we know for certain is that the tragedy originated at St. Lawrence Church, seemingly at the prompting of one Bradley Sherwood,” said Commander Matthew Leyton, head of the Florida National Guard’s Disaster Preparedness Task Force (DPTF). “Obviously, the precise nature and intention of this event is still to be determined. At this point the investigation is still ongoing, and I will share further details as soon as they become available.”
44 people are also confirmed to be injured, many of them critically, in the conflagration that leveled over 100 buildings and reduced much of the surrounding area to rubble. Experts say the relatively low numbers of injuries is consistent with a disaster of this nature, which was unlikely to leave any survivors apart from the distant peripheries of the discharge. No structures survived in a 1000-yard radius, and not even rubble was left in the epicenter around St. Lawrence. All that is left is a 200-meter deep crater, as the church building and parking lot were hit with 180,000,000,000,000,000 Joules of energy–or about 12,000 Hiroshima bombs.
“Our community is reeling right now,” said Bruce Rector, mayor of nearby Clearwater. “But we are strong. We will rebuild. Even as the wreckage still smolders, I promise you, the people of Clearwater, the people of Tampa Bay, and the people of Spring Hill are resolute and ready to overcome this senseless violence.”
The Federal Government deployed hundreds of F.E.M.A. workers to the scene by dusk, flying in bottled water and emergency blankets for distribution throughout the night.
Hearts on Fire, the sponsor of St. Lawrence’s “Festival of Fire” retreat, said it would also deploy legions of faith healers in an effort to aid the area. “Our hearts go out to all those affected by this terrible, terrible accident, and we are committed to helping in any way we can,” wrote Rebecka Wilder, C.F.O. of Hearts on Fire in a press release. “We are shocked and dismayed just as the rest of Spring Hill. After all, who could have possibly guessed that prayer would work?”
This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes known.
