KCEN-TV, KCEN-HD, Waco, Temple, Killeen, Bryan, TexasSeventh 2010 east Texas church fire ruled arson
Associated Press - February 8, 2010 7:35 PM ET
DALLAS (AP) - Investigators have concluded that a seventh east Texas church fire this was caused by arson.
Tom Crowley's a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Dallas. He said Monday that a deliberate fire Thursday destroyed the Russell Memorial United Methodist Church sanctuary in Wills Point, 45 miles east of Dallas.
He'd previously said arson caused six other east Texas church fires this year alone: two in Tyler, one in nearby Lindale and three in the Athens area. In central Texas, ATF agents from Houston concluded arson caused a fire last month that destroyed the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church in Temple.
No injuries have been reported. Crowley says some similarities have been found in the east Texas fires, but also some differences - such as the different times of day the fires were set.
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