Rockhampton’s Oasis Church on Glenmore Road destroyed by fire

A Gympie man who allegedly torched a Rockhampton church, causing millions of dollars in damage, was discovered in a park with a Bible partially covering his nakedness, police have confirmed.

The man allegedly responsible for the arson of Oasis Church in Rockhampton on Sunday was found by a member of the public, naked and holding a bible over his penis, near Kershaw Gardens, police have revealed.

Firefighters first attended the raging fire at the former North Leagues Club on Glenmore Road, Park Avenue about 2am on August 27.

The Oasis Church in Rockhampton has been destroyed by an alleged arson attack.

The timber building was ablaze and it took fireys several hours to contain the inferno, using aerial spraying and machinery to pull down the structure.

#ParkAvenue - Ambulance crews are on standby to assist @QldFES at a structure fire. Currently our Paramedics have not treated any patients. Members of the public are advised to avoid the area and close windows and avoid the large amount of smoke in the area. pic.twitter.com/OMl0UrjCah

— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) August 26, 2023

About 8.30am, Jason James Pronger, 33, from Gympie, was found by a stranger near Kershaw Gardens.

The stranger contacted police and clothed Mr Pronger so he would not be naked when they arrived.

Mr Pronger was then taken into custody and later charged with one count of arson.

“It was good thinking and insightful actions by members of the public that led to him being located by police,” Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley said.

He said a trail of clothing was found around Bob’s Bulk Booze and Domino’s shops nearby.

ACCUSED APPLIES FOR BAIL IN COURT

Mr Pronger had his charge mentioned in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on August 28, where it was adjourned until August 29 for a bail application.

Police prosecutor Corey O’Connor opposed bail being granted to Mr Pronger, saying the accused was “found afterwards laughing about what had happened” and “asking about other churches in Rockhampton”.

“There is a significant risk the defendant may reoffend given he is in the middle of an escalating mental health crisis and has expressed interest in other churches,” Mr O’Connor said.

Mr Pronger’s solicitor, Lauren Townsend, said her client was being assessed by a psychiatrist.

“It is suspected he has a psychotic illness at present and that he be sent to the hospital,” Ms Townsend said.

“There is to be a voluntary admission but it is to be under police escort.

“If granted bail, he will receive treatment which will reduce the risk of reoffending.”

She said if granted bail, her client could live with his parents in Gympie, not go to Rockhampton, engage with his mental health treatment and report to police in Gympie.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale refused to grant Mr Pronger bail.

Mr Pronger was remanded in custody and his matter was adjourned to October 11.

A brief of evidence was ordered.

ACCUSED WAS A PATRON OF THE CHURCH

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley.

Det Mawdsley confirmed Mr Pronger was a patron of the church and police will allege the arson was targeted.

“He had some motivation to make this attack against Oasis Church,” he said.

“It appears this arson of Oasis Church is isolated.”

Det Mawdsley said the fire was so large the building was destroyed, with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews battling the blaze for six to eight hours.

“The cost to replace it is in the millions,” he said.

The mess left at the Oasis Church.

“Investigators are on scene this morning (Monday morning).

“They will be doing an examination and assessment of the area to see if they can ascertain forensically what the cause of the fire was.”

Det Mawdsley said the accused, who was originally from Gympie, had been in the Rockhampton area for a few weeks staying with friends.

“But that is no longer the case, as of Saturday he was effectively homeless,” he said.

The fire absolutely decimated the former North Leagues Club building, more recently Oasis Church.

‘HE HASN’T SHED ANY LIGHT ON WHY HE STARTED THE FIRE’

“The man who has been charged has been uncooperative with us,” Det Mawdsley said.

“He hasn’t shed any light on how or why he started the fire.

“If someone was driving in the area and saw something or saw someone, we ask for them to contact Rockhampton police or Crime Stoppers.”

About 100 devastated parishioners gathered in Kershaw Gardens on Sunday for a morning service and were singing songs of praise as The Morning Bulletin arrived about 10am.

Members of the Oasis Church gathered at Kershaw Gardens, Rockhampton, after a fire destroyed their church overnight.

Oasis Church senior minister Nathan Jones spoke with media after the makeshift morning service in the park, saying the fire’s destruction had devastated not only the church congregation, but the community.

“Absolutely just devastating,” he said.

“There’s a lot of emotional feeling.

“It was our day of service where we come together and we just knew people wanted to be connected and together.”

Crews were called at 2am on August 27, 2023.

Mr Jones said the church was usually operational throughout the week, running music programs, mens’ groups, women‘s’ groups and youth programs.

He said the church would now be looking for alternative meeting places, such as halls, until their church can be rebuilt.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said emergency services were first called to the corner of Glenmore Rd and Fraser St just before 2am with reports of a rubbish fire.

He said when emergency services arrived, they found the church fully ablaze.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said five crews initially attended the scene at 2.05am, with one crew left on scene as of 11.15am.

She said the one crew at the scene was an aerial crew spraying and assisting machinery to pull down the structure.

The spokeswoman said the building needed to be dismantled as the roof had collapsed and there were fires underneath that firefighters could not get to and extinguish.

Emergency services at the scene of a fire which destroyed the Oasis Church on Glenmore Road, Park Avenue, overnight. Crews were called at 2am on August 27, 2023.

The church had posted about the fire on their Facebook page, which has more than 1000 followers.

The post was to advise members that the service had been relocated to the park.

“We just knew people would want to be connected and together, so we looked at our options and decided this was a great place to come,” Mr Jones said.

Members of the Oasis Church gathered at Kershaw Gardens, Rockhampton, after a fire destroyed their church.

More than 40 comments had been left on the post by 11.30am, including:

Elizabeth Hawkins – Now all the people in the park will get the chance to hear the Word of God this morning.

Jo Reay – Prayers going out to all the families associated with your church. Knowing that God will never fail us, he just makes us stronger. God bless you all.

Keiralee Vella – Church in the park sounds wonderful! What an amazing opportunity.

Elise Higginson – Heart is breaking for the church family. Moved back to Rockhampton looking for a new church. I would always drive past the beautiful building.

Paris Blurton – Oh our beautiful church what a tragedy but it’s a beautiful day for a church service in the park.

Emergency services at the scene of a fire which destroyed the Oasis Church on Glenmore Road, Park Avenue, overnight. Crews were called at 2am on August 27, 2023.

Originally published as Rockhampton’s Oasis Church on Glenmore Road destroyed by fire