Overnight Fire Guts Former Church Building In Compton
COMPTON (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say a fire at a former church in Compton is being investigated as possible arson.
The fire was reported about 2:20 a.m. Saturday at the now vacant building in the 800 block of East Compton Boulevard.
Louisa Hodge, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, says it took arriving firefighters about 24 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which caused an estimated $60,000 in damage.
According to officers, the building is a known hang-out associated with drugs and alcohol.
The fire marked the second at a local church building in less than 24 hours.
Batt. Chief Kenneth Benson from the Compton Fire Department told Hodge that he doesn't believe the two fires are related.
"I don't believe they were related. This is an abandoned building and I understand the fire in Los Angeles was not," Benson said.
On Friday, a fire gutted
the Galilee Baptist Church in South Los Angeles.
Investigators determined that it was arson after their dogs picked up the scent of an unknown accelerant.
Firefighters managed to save the decades-old church but the sanctuary and classroom suffered extensive damage.
Both fires remain under investigation.
