Goldmember Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 (edited) Six Rural Alabama Churches Burned Friday, February 03, 2006 CENTREVILLE, Ala. — The search for a possible arsonist was underway Friday after six churches in rural Alabama were found burning. FOX affiliate WBRC in Birmingham, Ala., confirmed that the churches in Bibb County burned Friday morning. As of 7 a.m. EST., those churches were Rehobeth Baptist Church in Randolph, Ashby Baptist Church in Briarfield, Old Union Baptist Church in Briarfield, Pleasant Sabine Antioch southeast of Centerville and Antioch Church in Antioch. Older Church in Chilton County also burned. Ashby Baptist and Rehobeth Baptist both burned to the ground. All churches are within a 15- to 20-mile radius of each other, according to WBRC, and all were close to highways. The fire that damaged the Chilton County church apparently happened late Thursday afternoon. An article in Friday's Clanton Advertiser reported that the Old New Harmony Church was gutted by a fire. No one was hurt. That church had been undergoing construction, which could have been a source of the fire, said Ragan Ingram, a spokesman for the state insurance agency that oversees fire investigations. Firefighters were still spraying water on some hotspots late Friday morning. The Rev. David Hand of the Old Union Baptist Church said a fire was discovered at his church at around 4:30 a.m. Friday. But, he said the blaze was extinguished before it could cause serious damage. Jim Parker, a member of the Ashby Baptist Church, told WBRC television in Birmingham that he understood the fire began near the pulpit and that the fires at other churches had a similar pattern. The minister of The First Baptist Church of Woodstock — which was not burned — told FOX News that all the churches targeted were southern Baptist; one is predominantly black while the others were predominantly white. WRBC reported that police have not made public the names of any suspects or announced any arrests. But pastors of the burned churches have been making plans for weekend services. Republican Congressman Spencer Bachus of Alabama said he planned to visit Bibb County Friday morning "to see the destruction firsthand." "My deepest sympathies are with the residents of Bibb County and members of the affected churches," Bachus said in a statement released by his office. "Federal, state and local resources are being exhausted to find those responsible for these heinous acts. ... My prayer is that the people of Bibb County can soon begin to heal." FOX News' Jonathan Serrie and The Associated Press contributed to this report. wee lil' linky Edited February 3, 2006 by Goldmember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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