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Fires strike four more Ala. churches

BOLIGEE, Ala. - In a grimly familiar scene, four rural Alabama churches were found damaged or destroyed by fires Tuesday, less than a week after five other church fires that were ruled arson.

At three of the latest burned churches, the fires appeared to erupt in the sanctuary near the altar, according to church members and authorities, who say arson is suspected.

FBI acting assistant director Chip Burrus said investigators are working on the assumption that all nine of the Alabama church fires are linked.

"Clearly there's a suspected link," Burrus said from Washington, D.C. "I'm not prepared to talk about the evidence yet . . . but common sense tells you there is a clear indication these fires are going to be linked."

Authorities have no suspects or motive, Burrus said.

The nine churches that burned included both white and black congregations.

Flames were visible near the pulpit and smoke was pouring out windows when Johnny Archibald arrived at Morning Star Baptist in Boligee, Ala., about 6:45 a.m.

"They had kicked the door in," he said. "Evidently they had set the pulpit on fire and went out the front door."

Investigators said the latest fires erupted overnight at churches in a cluster in three rural west Alabama counties about 60 miles from the Bibb County area where the five church arsons occurred early Friday. The fires reported Tuesday destroyed two churches and damaged two; the Bibb County fires destroyed three and damaged two.

The four latest fires were in hamlets near the Mississippi line about 10 to 20 miles from each other. All were in sparsely populated areas off rural roads, similar to those in Bibb County, just south of Birmingham.

Rich Marianos, a spokesman for the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency, said more than 50 agents are assigned to the investigation in Alabama.

"This is our No. 1 priority nationally," he said.

All nine churches are Baptist, the dominant faith in the area.

[Last modified February 8, 2006, 01:16:09]