Fires at Southern Churches Probed

Fire has destroyed three churches and damaged a parsonage in two Southern states in recent weeks, leading local and federal officials to investigate.

In Rocky Point, N.C., the Antioch United Holy Church, a predominantly black church, recently burned down. The church is just down the road from Hill’s Missionary Baptist Church, which was destroyed in June 1996 by a fire that was ruled accidental.

The Hill’s Missionary congregation had worshiped at Antioch until moving into a new church in December.

And in the southeast Texas panhandle town of Wellington, one church and a parsonage have had fires since Christmas.

The latest gutted the First Christian Church. Collingsworth County Sheriff Dale Tarver would not say whether he believed it was linked to two earlier fires at the Church of Christ parsonage.

“All leads are being followed up,� Tarver said.

State and federal investigators helped local deputies comb the rubble for clues, and authorities are meeting with community church leaders to discuss preventive measures in case the fires are not coincidental.

Wellington, a town of 2,600, is 80 miles southeast of Amarillo.