Church Fire Ruled Arson, Possible Hate Crime
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CHARLOTTE, NC — A 3-alarm church fire in East Charlotte has been ruled an arson.
The fire burned so hot that some neighbors had to be evacuated from their homes. Investigators are now looking into if this could be a hate crime.
“When I got here, I was even amazed to see that the flames were so high,” says Briar Creek Baptist Church Pastor Mannix Kinsey. “And of course, I’m thinking oh my goodness, this church is going to be destroyed.”
Prayers were answered. No lives lost. No one was hurt. The sanctuary at Briar Creek Baptist Church was not damaged.
“We were giving thanks that no life was lost, and that we can rebuild,” says Bob Lowman with the Metrolina Baptist Association. “It’s bricks and mortar. It can be rebuilt.”
The call came in just before 1:00 am Wednesday morning. More than 75 firefighters, 14 engines and 4 ladders all battled the the 3-alarm fire. A fire investigators say was intentionally set.
“Fire pattern analysis and excavation of fire debris,” says Senior Fire Investigator David Williams. “Looking for clues and evidence. And the evidence that we found out here does indicate that it’s a set fire.”
Williams also says they are working on developing a list of suspects, asking for tips from the community and looking into whether or not this could be a hate crime.
“That is one of the angles that we’re examining at this point,” says Williams. “If we find information that leads us to go down that path, we’ll pursue it. But we’ve not eliminated that yet.”
“Guarantee it’s not a hate crime'” says East Charlotte resident Sam Triantis. “If it was a hate crime, it’d be in the main altar and the church, it’d be down.”
Neighbors tell WCCB Charlotte that the fire started in the game room, near an area where kids and the homeless hang out.
They say this is a diverse area, but a community with tight bonds.
“I know this neighborhood and the people, and we, kind of like Charleston, we all take care of each other,” says Triantis.
“Just the climate,” says Pastor Mannix. “We’re still talking about this same issue. This is 2015. And so we all have to consider, what else do we need to do to actually be able to work together?”
Briar Creek Baptist is hosting a summer day camp this week for kids. The Metrolina Baptist Association is working to secure another building for that camp to use.
If you have any information on this fire, call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
