Mark Duke (left) and Darrell Chaisson (right) of the Jefferson Fire Department walk with a state arson investigator (center) on Friday afternoon at Faith Baptist Church's carport and adjacent parsonage. Photo by Kerri Testement
Church building fire ruled arson
A fire that destroyed a Jefferson church’s parsonage and two vans has been ruled arson, according to state officials.
Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine said in a statement Friday that an early morning fire at Faith Baptist Church’s parsonage on U.S. Hwy. 129 was arson.
“We’ve ruled out all accidental causes that could have started this fire,” said Glenn Allen, a spokesperson for Oxendine’s office.
Investigators won’t say what caused the blaze, but believe it started in a carport — where two, 12-passenger vans were parked — and spread to the connecting parsonage, which is located across a parking lot from a sanctuary. A substance to accelerate the spread of the fire was used in the incident.
Now that the investigation will focus on a criminal act, the state office will be working with the Jefferson Police Department, Allen said.
“We’ll be conducting interviews with members of the church and also neighbors in the area,” he said.
Right now, there are no suspects in the case, but Oxendine’s office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of an arsonist in the case.
The hotline number is 1-800-282-5804. Calls are taken 24 hours a day and callers may remain anonymous.
Around 1 a.m. on Thursday, a blaze was reported Faith Baptist Church’s former parsonage — which at one time was used as a residence for the church’s pastor. The 3,000 square-foot building is located near the sanctuary on U.S. Hwy. 129.
The blaze caused significant damage to the building and destroyed two church vans parked in the carport, according to Mark Duke of the Jefferson Fire Department.
“We got there and nobody was there, so nobody was hurt or injured,” he said.
The heavy-involved fire was quickly extinguished, but firefighters didn’t finish their work on the scene until about 6 a.m., Duke said.
The fire department asked the state’s fire marshal office — which typically investigates fires on church properties — to investigate, he added.
Oxendine estimated the destroyed parsonage and vans were valued at a total $100,000 and were a total loss, he said in a statement.
Firefighters from Jefferson, North Jackson, Harrisburg and the Jackson County Correctional Institute responded to the incident.
Dr. Keith Cudd, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, said the building was used as a mission house to welcome visiting missionaries or special guest speakers. A missionary family from North Carolina was slated to stay in the house this weekend.
“We plan to rebuild once everything gets settled with the insurance company,” he said Thursday afternoon.
The two vans parked in the carport were the church’s only vehicles, Cudd said.
Just hours after the blaze, the church is had already receiving plenty of prayers and support.
“We’ve had a lot of folks — other pastors and other churches — that have expressed anything they can do to help, and of course, that they would be praying for our church and our church family,” Cudd said.
The last time a pastor at Faith Baptist Church lived in the house was 2004, he added. The basement was used for storage.
“We’ve ruled out all accidental causes that could have started this fire,” said Glenn Allen, a spokesperson for Oxendine’s office.
Investigators won’t say what caused the blaze, but believe it started in a carport — where two, 12-passenger vans were parked — and spread to the connecting parsonage, which is located across a parking lot from a sanctuary. A substance to accelerate the spread of the fire was used in the incident.
Now that the investigation will focus on a criminal act, the state office will be working with the Jefferson Police Department, Allen said.
“We’ll be conducting interviews with members of the church and also neighbors in the area,” he said.
Right now, there are no suspects in the case, but Oxendine’s office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of an arsonist in the case.
The hotline number is 1-800-282-5804. Calls are taken 24 hours a day and callers may remain anonymous.
Around 1 a.m. on Thursday, a blaze was reported Faith Baptist Church’s former parsonage — which at one time was used as a residence for the church’s pastor. The 3,000 square-foot building is located near the sanctuary on U.S. Hwy. 129.
The blaze caused significant damage to the building and destroyed two church vans parked in the carport, according to Mark Duke of the Jefferson Fire Department.
“We got there and nobody was there, so nobody was hurt or injured,” he said.
The heavy-involved fire was quickly extinguished, but firefighters didn’t finish their work on the scene until about 6 a.m., Duke said.
The fire department asked the state’s fire marshal office — which typically investigates fires on church properties — to investigate, he added.
Oxendine estimated the destroyed parsonage and vans were valued at a total $100,000 and were a total loss, he said in a statement.
Firefighters from Jefferson, North Jackson, Harrisburg and the Jackson County Correctional Institute responded to the incident.
Dr. Keith Cudd, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, said the building was used as a mission house to welcome visiting missionaries or special guest speakers. A missionary family from North Carolina was slated to stay in the house this weekend.
“We plan to rebuild once everything gets settled with the insurance company,” he said Thursday afternoon.
The two vans parked in the carport were the church’s only vehicles, Cudd said.
Just hours after the blaze, the church is had already receiving plenty of prayers and support.
“We’ve had a lot of folks — other pastors and other churches — that have expressed anything they can do to help, and of course, that they would be praying for our church and our church family,” Cudd said.
The last time a pastor at Faith Baptist Church lived in the house was 2004, he added. The basement was used for storage.
I hope the person(s) responsible for this know what small little cowards you/they are. In addition, I hope that now, since the only thing you have to look forward to is the hunt for your sorry butt, you will live each day wondering how close authorities are to catching you. Just remember, it isn't a question of if, it is a certainty of when! You will be caught, watch and see.
Not everything that takes place in the world is a conspiracy of political intention. Too much Hannity can do that to a person if he isn't careful sir. I might also mention that when all one does is look for reasons to incriminate the other side of the political spectrum or platform, one loses creditability in their opinions about such subjects.
I'm just saying....