LDS church fire in downtown St. George being treated as ‘criminal investigation’
ST. GEORGE — Police are investigating a devastating fire in downtown St. George Saturday as a crime after the blaze destroyed a chapel built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The fire was originally reported at around 1:15 a.m. at the nearly completed Stake Center in the area of 300 East and 400 South. The fire spread from one end of the building to the other, and the roof and ceiling eventually caved in. Fire crews spent hours mounting a defensive attack from outside of the building before it finally died down.
“We are treating it as a crime right now,” St. George Police officer Tiffany Atkin said of the cause of the fire during a press conference Saturday afternoon.
She said the fire started in the exterior of the building where there’s no source of heat or electricity, which indicates it was likely set intentionally.
K-9 officers sniffing the scene also found evidence that indicates it was likely intentional.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Fire Marshal and police are working together on the investigation.
Watch the entire press conference on St. George News’ Facebook live feed below.
St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said security cameras on the temple grounds across the street indicated the fire may have been burning for an hour before it was reported.
The entire building was gutted by the flames and is considered a total loss, Stoker said.
Read more and see video of active flames: New LDS stake center near St. George Temple gutted by fire
Firemen were still on scene well into Saturday afternoon putting out remaining flames. The fire left a thick layer of smoke throughout downtown St. George that may linger through the day.
The new chapel had been built to replace an aging building that was torn down last year. Church officials on social media expressed shock at news of the blaze but said they would work through this “bump in the road.”
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact St. George Police at 435-627-4300.
St. George News reporters Mori Kessler and Joseph Witham contributed to this report.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
Damage to a nearly-completed chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that caught on fire early Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
A St. George Fire ladder truck uses a master stream to douse flames on a fire that destroyed a nearly-completed LDS chapel in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
Fire personnel investigate the outside of a nearly-completed LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
A fire inspector carries potential evidence from a LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
Fire investigators at the scene of a LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
Flames rolling in the corner of the attic of a nearly-completed LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
Flames and smoke from one of the entrances to a nearly-completed LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
The collapsed steeple of a nearly-completed LDS chapel that caught on fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Connor Pickett, St. George News
A St. George firefighter on a ladder truck dousing flames from a nearly-completed LDS chapel that caught fire in St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2019 | Photo by Markee Heckenliable, St. George News
Email: mheckenliable@stgnews.com
Twitter: @STGnews | @markeekaenews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.