WEST , Texas ( CNN ) -- One by one , the beleaguered townspeople of West , Texas , filed into local churches Sunday to begin the healing process , following last week 's deadly blast at the nearby West Fertilizer Co. plant . As parishioners streamed out of St. Mary 's Catholic Church after Sunday 's service , Father Boniface Onjefu hugged and consoled his congregants , and gave reassuring smiles and high fives to the church 's youngest members . `` West is a strong city . We shall definitely overcome this tragedy , '' Onjefu told those assembled at his church , about a mile from the explosion site . Several members of St. Mary 's were killed or injured battling the blaze , Onjefu told CNN . The church 's parking lot has become a staging area , of sorts , for police and first responders who have flooded the north central Texas community since Wednesday 's explosion that killed 14 people . Search and rescue efforts have evolved into search and recovery efforts , because officials do n't expect to find any more victims in the wreckage -- alive or dead . The explosion at West Fertilizer 's plant ruined much of the north side of town , and left hundreds of people injured , homeless and in need of help . On television nationally , the scope of the tragedy was overshadowed by the dramatic events in New England , as investigators there pursued leads in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation , then pursued their suspects . But many Texans kept their focus on the great need close to home . Long lines of cars streamed by the community center , dropping off food , water and other rations throughout the weekend . Numerous church groups and restaurants handed out hot meals . `` These are our neighbors . They are coming to help , '' Waco Police Department Sgt . William Patrick Swanton told reporters . `` You will find that in Texas . You will find that across the United States . We put everything aside when it comes to these types of situations . '' The nine first responders from West who died battling the blaze represented nearly one-third of the town 's volunteer firefighting and EMT force . The fire destroyed two fire trucks and an ambulance . Firefighters and trucks from neighboring communities now fill the void at the West firehouse . At Sunday 's emotional church service in this farming town of fewer than 3,000 residents , the priest told congregants his personal recollection of Wednesday 's horror . He had just returned to the rectory when he heard the blast . `` I thought it was an earthquake , '' Onjefu said . The lights flickered on and off as his small two-story brick residence shook from the explosion , he added . Onjefu said that when he headed outside , he immediately noticed a large , dark plume of smoke rising in the sky on the north side of town . He got into his car and drove toward the smoke . The priest was one of the first to arrive in the destroyed part of town . He immediately began helping remove victims from a severely damaged nursing home . The town 's high school and middle school , also close to the fertilizer plant , sustained heavy damage as well . Onjefu said that since the blast , he has witnessed `` fear in the eyes '' of people walking the streets of West . Many churchgoers trying to fathom the destruction have asked Onjefu for answers about why the plant exploded . `` I guess it could have been worse , '' an elderly church member told him as he left the Sunday service . Onjefu smiled and agreed , reminding the man of his sermon , which noted that rains and winds in the area had helped tame the blaze , and kept the poisonous cloud of fumes away from the center of town . Evacuated townspeople began returning home late Saturday to begin what promises to be a massive cleanup effort . Authorities allowed a second wave to revisit their homes Sunday . The process `` is going well and orderly , '' with `` very few hiccups , '' said Steve Vanek , West 's mayor pro tem . Adult residents are being allowed in until 7 p.m. , under the supervision of Texas state police , he said . A strict curfew and heavy state police presence control the areas cordoned off near the site -- almost the entire north side of town . The cause of the fire and explosion has not been determined yet , but investigators have isolated the center of the blast , Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said Sunday . The explosion left a large crater in the middle of the plant , Kistner said . Funeral arrangements are pending for those killed . But Vanek said Sunday that Baylor University , 20 miles away in Waco , will host a memorial service for first responders at 2 p.m. Thursday . So far , 10 of the 14 casualties have been identified as first responders , including a Dallas firefighter . In Hillsboro , Texas , about 15 miles from West , hotels and storefront windows displayed fliers celebrating the life of firefighter Jerry Chapman , who was killed fighting the blaze , an indication that the mourning and sense of grief go far beyond the close-knit community of West . The week from hell . CNN 's Todd Sperry reported from West , Texas ; CNN 's Martin Savidge , John Murgatroyd and Eric Fiegel contributed to this report from West , Texas ; CNN 's Matt Smith and Mark Morgenstein contributed from Atlanta .
A fertilizer plant exploded in West , the United States , on Sunday , killing one people . A priest at a church in West vows his `` strong city '' will `` overcome this tragedy '' Texans are rallying to aid the beleaguered people of New England . Authorities are letting evacuated townspeople return to their damaged homes .