Several church fires across the South, some of which have been ruled as arson, have been investigated by the FBI in the past week. The affected buildings are predominately black churches.
Included in the those churches is east Charlotte’s Briar Creek Road Baptist Church.
Information is being shared between local police, the FBI, and ATF to determine if any of the fires could classify as hate crimes, following the gunning down of nine members of a black church by an alleged white supremacist earlier in the month.
A list of six fires that have occurred at predominantly black churches in Florida, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Georgia, has been compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Three of those churches have been determined as arsons, while the others could be storm- or electrical-related or other undetermined causes.
A service was still held at Briar Creek Baptist four days after the fire occurred. The sanctuary sustained minor damage, while the rest of the campus had damages worth around $250,000 from smoke and fire, according to he Charlotte Fire Department.
The investigation into the fire will include determining if it was a hate crime.
Neighbors, such as Sam Triantis, don’t believe the crime was of hate. According to Triantis, the neighborhood includes 200 nationalities that get along fine.
Police ask anyone with information on the case to contact investigators at 704-336-2441 or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Information that leads to an arrest will result in a reward, police said.
