Faith communities united in support of Black Springfield church in wake of fire: Letter to the Editor
Updated Jan 02, 2021;
Facebook Share
I am deeply saddened to hear of the recent events related to the Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield. At the time of my writing, the arson investigation is underway.
Regardless of what has happened, a local congregation is in crisis and, together with Baha’i Faith Communities of the Greater Springfield Area, Beloved Community Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Greater Springfield Campaign Nonviolence, Hampden Association of the United Church of Christ, Holy Cross JustFaith, members of the Interfaith Council of Greater Springfield, the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, Lutheran Churches of Western Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sp
Questions but no answers: Investigation continues into fire at Springfield’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church
Updated Dec 30, 2020;
Facebook Share
SPRINGFIELD More than two days after a suspicious fire heavily damaged the Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church, investigators are still looking for answers about how the fire started and whether anyone is responsible.
The fire, reported around 5 a.m. Monday, caused more than $100,000 to the church at 14 Concord Terrace, off State Street near Mason Square.
Firefighters were able to preserve the exterior of the building and some artifacts. But the interior saw significant damage and firefighters had to cut holes in a new roof, installed a week ago, to ventilate smoke.
Dec 29, 2020
A church fire in Springfield is being looked at by city, state and federal arson investigators.
Mayor Domenic Sarno on Monday declared that someone tried to burn down Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church near Mason Square early yesterday morning.
Springfield Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi says the interior of the church was destroyed.
Calvi said there has been a recent uptick of suspicious fires in the area.
A tip line has been established as well as a 5 thousand dollar reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information can call the arson hotline anonymously at 1-800-682-9229.
Arson investigators are inspecting the scene of a suspicious church fire
The Springfield, Massachusetts fire began on Monday morning at Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church
Springfield arson and Bomb Squad members responded to the scene, along with Massachusetts State Police and the ATF
It took crews an hour to put out the blaze, which has left the church unusable
Springfield Fire Commissioner said: It s a church that burned at nighttime, so it s a potential hate crime
Investigators are looking at surveillance video as part of the investigation
Fire At Black Church In Massachusetts Could Possibly Be A Hate Crime, Officials Say
KEY POINTS
Authorities believe the church fire could potentially be a hate crime because it erupted overnight
Local, state and federal authorities are investigating the incident
A fire that broke out Monday early morning at a Black church in Massachusetts is being investigated as a possible arson, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield at around 5 a.m. ET on Monday. It took the officials about an hour to contain the blaze, which caused severe damages to the property, leaving it unusable.