RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Suspicious fire in evangelical church in central Ukraine

CHURCH BURNS DOWN IN ALEXANDRIA

Moia Aleksandriia, 10 February 2016

 

The building of the evangelical church Blagaia Vest [Good News], which is located in the courtyard of the city's House of Culture on No. 2 6 December Street, caught fire. The fire occurred today, 10 February.

 

The fire destroyed the meeting hall and a children's Sunday school. The flame destroyed the ceiling and ceiling beams in two areas: the meeting hall and children's Sunday school.

 

The church's pastor, Nikolai Vitchenko, is inclined to believe that arson occurred.

 

The chief of the Alexandria Fire and Rescue Service, Dmitry Kolesnik, reported that the fire alarm came in at 2:46 a.m. The firefighter said that a woodshed located near the church caught fire. The flame spread from the woodshed to the roof and destroyed 70 to 100 square meters of roof and beams.

 

To the question whether it could be arson, Kolesnik answered affirmatively. "It could quite well be. Maybe someone climbed up and dropped a butt or someone deliberately set a fire. The fire was spread, but the motives will be established by the police," he said.

 

As of 12 noon, fire trucks continued on duty near the church. Believers were removing undamaged things from the building. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 February 2016)

 


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