FLINT, MI -- Family, friends and community members held candles and prayed Sunday for the woman and child who died in a Flint home explosion last week.
The explosion occurred around 9:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, in the 3900 block of Hogarth Avenue, between Nedra and Walton avenues, on the city’s west side. A 4-year-old girl and a 55-year-old woman were killed in the explosion and fire that followed, authorities have said.
Officials have not yet released the names of the victims.
Candles were placed around photos of the two victims of the explosion as family, friends and loved ones embraced each other in the parking lot of St. Pius X Catholic Church at 3139 Hogarth Ave. on Sunday, Nov. 28.
Seneca Barnes, the great aunt of the child who died, led a prayer Sunday.
“Dear heavenly Father, we are calling on you tonight and in every other moment ... we come as humbly as possible, begging you for strength,” Barnes said.
She asked God that the victims in the explosion rest peacefully.
“We come to you and we just ask for comfort, for peace, for knowledge, dear heavenly Father -- for wisdom. We’re begging for wisdom because we don’t have answers,” Barnes prayed. “We don’t know exactly what happened but you do. And tonight we know you needed your babies, dear heavenly Father. We know that you needed them more. We just ask that you give us peace and comfort during this time.”
Leo Bower, a friend of the 55-year-old victim’s family coordinated the Sunday event. She worked to reach out to family members of both victims so everyone could join together to support one another.
“Everybody felt this,” Bower said. " People physically felt this in the community so it was very important to me to have time to really mourn with the family. Because, in Flint, we’re really a whole different place. We are a family and we reach out to take care of each other. I wanted people to be able to do that in this situation.”
Bower said she took to Facebook and Tiktok to share the event and information on how to support families.
Even people outside of Flint have voiced support of families through this time, she said.
“Through any tragedy, we should show our support,” Bower said.
Helping people through tragedy “shows our humanity,” Bower said, her voice cracking.
Letters or cards for both families can be sent to P.O. Box 20035 Canton, OH 44701, Bower said.
The initial explosion in one home set two adjacent homes on fire, Flint Fire Chief Raymond Barton said Tuesday.
Three homes were completely destroyed with a total of 27 homes damaged or destroyed, according to the most recent update from the city of Flint Wednesday, Nov. 24.
The 55-year-old woman was found in one of the adjacent homes. The 4-year-old girl was found Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the explosion.
Read more on MLive:
An ‘outpouring of love and support,’ community rallies after Flint home explosion
27 homes damaged or destroyed after Flint house explosion, city says
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