Fire at black church in Maryland ruled accidental
June 19, 1996
Web posted at: 8:55 a.m. EDTBERLIN, Maryland (CNN) -- A fire early Wednesday that heavily damaged a small-town church with an African-American congregation was caused by an electrical problem, state authorities said.
"It's quite evident it's accidental," said Maryland Fire Marshal Rocco J. Gabriele.
"Our preliminary investigation indicates it started in the kitchen. It appears it started in an electrical socket that they've been having problems with over the past couple of days," Gabriele said.
The fire at St. John's Methodist Church on Maryland's eastern shore was reported about 2:45 a.m. and was put out about 30 minutes later, said Bennett Bozman, a firefighter with the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department. Berlin is a city of 2,600 near the seaside resort of Ocean City.
The blaze damaged the church sanctuary and destroyed an annex, leaving only cinder block walls, Bozman said. The church was empty at the time.
Later in the day, President Clinton was to meet with Southern governors to discuss dozens of suspicious fires that have struck black churches across the South and Southeast in the last 18 months. Investigators also are looking into a series of fires at mostly white churches.
Mississippi burnings
In Kossuth, Mississippi, a liquid-filled plastic jug was found burned into the lawn of an all-white church Tuesday, one day after two black churches nearby were destroyed by suspected arsons.
Sheriff Jimmy Taylor said investigators also found evidence of an attempted break-in at the Kossuth Church of Christ, and were calling it a "failed attempt at arson."
In related developments Tuesday:
- A fire that destroyed a rural black church in Rocky Point, North Carolina, on Monday appeared to be the result of an electrical problem rather than arson, authorities said.
-Full Story-- A white volunteer firefighter was arrested and charged with arson in the May 25 burning of a black church in Robeson County, North Carolina. Authorities declined to comment on a possible motive.
- Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition said he would ask the 100,000 churches on his group's mailing list to help raise $1 million to rebuild burned churches.
-Full Story-- In New York, another fund-raising drive was started by a group of rabbis as speakers likened the fires to Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht attack on synagogues in 1938.
- The House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that would broaden federal authority to prosecute crimes against religious property.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Investigators earch for clues in Mississippi fires - June 18, 1996
- Two more black churches destroyed by fire - June 18, 1996
- South's black churches placed on 'endangered' list - June 18, 1996
- Church outbuilding burns near Atlanta - June 17, 1996
Related sites:
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference
- Christian Coalition
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Fire and EMS Information Network
- Department of the Treasury: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Related newsgroup:
- bit.listserv.blues-L (Thread discusses church fires)
(Certain newsgroups may not be available on your news server)
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