Members of a rural black church that burned down are hoping an investigation will show the fire was accidental and not the latest in a string of church arsons.
"My hope is that there isn't any wrongdoing. It'll feel worse if it's arson. It'll be better if it's just an accident," said the Rev. Willie Cole-man, pastor of the 102-member church.Fire swept through the 65-year-old Rising Star Baptist Church in rural Hale County before daybreak Monday.
"It burned all the way down to the ground, nothing left but the brick frame," said deacon John Hodge. Damage could total $250,000, and there was insurance to cover some of the loss, he said.
Agents from the FBI, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the state fire marshal's office were investigating the cause of the fire. Greensboro Fire Chief Richard Roberts said no determination had yet been made.
Monday's fire was the 26th to strike a black church in the Southeast since early 1995, including five in western Alabama. The fires have prompted a federal investigation.
In Greene County, fires destroyed one black church in late December and two more within hours of each other in January. No one has been charged in those fires, which are described as suspicious. In nearby Dallas County, a white volunteer firefighter was charged with a Feb. 28 fire, but race was ruled out as a motive.