DEVELOPING
Priest Saves Man Who Caught Fire in Church
Unidentified elderly victim was lighting candle at Holy Family church in Hicksville
The names of the priest and the victim were unknown.
A Long Island priest has been credited with saving the life of one of his parishioners, an elderly man whose clothing caught fire inside a church.
The unidentified victim, 89, was lighting a candle at Holy Family Church in Hicksville when his clothes caught fire.
It's unclear how his clothing erupted in flames, but the fire set off smoke alarms in the church.
"I grabbed a fire extinguisher and put him out and tried to keep him calm," said Rev. Henry Reid, who has been with the church almost five years.
The victim was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center's burn unit, with burns over 60 percent of his body.
He is in critical but stable condition.
"He's one of our people and it's horrible to think that this would happen," Reid said.
