LOS ANGELES (KNX) – An arson investigation was launched after a historic church in Los Angeles went up in flames for the second time in less than two years.
On Saturday, firefighters responded to St. John’s Methodist Church in Watts around 7 p.m. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it took 32 firefighters 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.
“The fire was centered in the sanctuary and extended up into the balcony,” the department said.
As officials investigate the cause of the fire, residents in the area told KNX News the church is often a frequent target of loitering.
“It seems like almost every other day someone is throwing a rock through a window or trying to break in, one man said.
Other residents have pointed fingers at the homeless community in the area.
“They would be drunk at six in the morning,” a neighbor told KNX News. “I would see them throwing rocks at the church and stuff like that.”
Brian Humphrey, LA City Fire spokesperson, said the department isn’t pointing any fingers at this time.
“We don't want to have target vision on one group,” he said. “So they're being considered. The people in the area have spoken up and their concerns about the homeless and that information is being taken forward.
The 97-year-old church was damaged by another fire that occurred in February 2022.
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