Alabama Burning

Fires damaged three more rural Baptist churches in Alabama following rash of suspected arsons that burned five churches south of Birmingham last week, a state official said Tuesday.

Ragan Ingram, a spokesman for the state insurance agency that oversees fire investigations, said the fires reported Tuesday were at Dancy First Baptist Church near Aliceville, Spring Valley Baptist Church near Emelle, and Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church near Boligee.

He said the extent of damage was not immediately known and it wasn't immediately clear when the three churches burned. State and federal fire investigators were sent to the scenes, he said.

"Obviously we're going to investigate these as suspected arsons," Ingram said.

Early Friday, three rural Baptist churches were destroyed and two others were damaged in rural Bibb County, about 25 miles south of Birmingham.

The three fires that were reported Tuesday were in three sparsely populated counties in west Alabama near the Mississippi line.

Who would do such a thing? Are these arsonists engaging in hate crimes or simply going after targets of opportunity that just happen to be churches? There's no way to know for sure until the perpetrators are caught. What is certain is that congregations are going to have to keep a closer eye on their buildings because someone thinks that it's okay to torch churches.

UPDATE:
Make that four fires at Alabama churches.

Others blogging: War Liberal and FaerieBell

Technorati: church fires, Alabama, Birmingham Alabama, arson