CREVE COEUR, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a suburban St. Louis church Nativity scene fire appears to have been intentionally set.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (https://bit.ly/2iImibw ) reports that the Nativity scene in front of the altar was ablaze Tuesday night when firefighters entered the smoke-filled St. Monica Catholic Church. Crews quickly extinguished the fire.
Assistant fire marshal Jerry McQueen, of the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District, says the fire has been deemed “suspicious.”
The Rev. Joseph Weber says it appears someone piled items, including a large chair and the pulpit, on top of the Nativity scene before the fire. He says the “entire parish has been violated.”
St. Louis regional bomb and arson detectives are assisting Creve Coeur police in the investigation. Police say the church was unlocked at the time of the blaze.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, https://www.stltoday.com
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