Fire Official Urges Georgia Churches to Be on Arson Watch

Georgia’s top fire official is urging churches to bolster security after two metro Atlanta churches were set on fire.

Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine said officials are investigating whether the arsons at churches in East Point and Morrow are connected.

Fire consumed the Calvary Church in Morrow when it was set on fire early Sunday. Investigators say they also found evidence of an accelerant on the inside and outside of the East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Church, which was set on fire Nov. 6.

Oxendine urged neighborhoods to start church watches to monitor the buildings on days without services. He said church fires are particularly devastating to areas “where churches are the social as well as spiritual heart of the community.”