O.C. Church Fires May Be Tied to Others
Three suspicious blazes at an Anaheim church early Monday may be related to two dozen recent fires in the area, officials said.
Firefighters were called to St. Justin Martyr Roman Catholic Church in the 2000 block of Ball Road about 1:30 a.m. They extinguished fires inside the church, in a trash bin and in a pile of donated clothes left outside the church.
No one was injured, but the fire inside caused about $500,000 in damage, mostly to the rear of the church and a second-floor choir room, said Maria Sabol, spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department.
“We’re investigating it as a very suspicious fire,” she said. “We’re concerned that it appears that we have someone that is starting these fires, and they’re escalating.”
The previous fires have been within three miles of the church and took place within a month, officials said. They were mostly set in trash or in trees late at night or early in the morning.
It took about 60 firefighters about 30 minutes to control the church fires, Sabol said.
Anyone with information may call (714) 491-8468.
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