Federal agents investigating fire at Catholic church in Arizona

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

Federal agents are assisting in the investigation of a fire that severely damaged a Catholic church in the Diocese of Tucson last week.

St. Anthony of Padua Church in Casa Grande, Arizona, reported on Facebook on Friday that an early-morning fire on Oct. 18 had damaged the church building.

No injuries were reported and firefighters quickly put out the fire, the Facebook post said. The church will be using its community center for Masses as a result of the blaze.

Casa Grande Fire Marshal Frank Ricci told local NBC affiliate KVOA that the fire likely started in a shed on the property. Ricci told the network that the majority of the building had been severely damaged by the blaze.

“Based on the damage that’s occurred inside the structure, I’m saying this is probably about 65%-70% loss of the structure,” Ricci said.

A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) told CNA on Tuesday that the agency is investigating the case. “We are assisting the Casa Grande fire department with their investigation,” the spokesman said.

Asked if officials were investigating the fire as a possible incidence of arson, the ATF directed CNA to the Casa Grande Fire Department. The fire department did not immediately respond to a query on Tuesday about the investigation.

The New Outlook, the Tucson diocese’s news website, reported on Tuesday that Casa Grande Fire Chief Dave Kean said officials have “no reason to believe that foul play was involved,” though federal agents were assisting “due to the high dollar loss and the fact that it is a place of worship.”

In a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday, Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger said he was “deeply grieved by the damage and destruction” to the parish.

“A characteristic true to Catholicism is that our houses of worship are not simply places where we pray,” the bishop said. “Rather, they are imbued with holiness by the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, the waters of baptism, consecrated vessels for worship, and the grace that flows from the celebration of the sacraments.”

The prelate urged the parishioners to “allow the grace of God to heal us, to make us strong, and to unite us in fulfilling his will,” noting that the parish “was not built on a foundation of concrete, steel, and bricks” but rather one of “faith, hope, and love.”

Several other parishes in the U.S. and elsewhere have gone up in flames in recent weeks. A Catholic church in Florida has suffered multiple fires in the span of just 16 months, with officials confirming last week that the most recent fire is currently being investigated as arson.

A rampant wildfire in September, meanwhile, destroyed the Holy Spirit Catholic Mission in Washoe Valley, Nevada, which held the only Latin Mass in northern Nevada.

In Arizona, meanwhile, Father Ariel Lustan told the Tucson newspaper that Masses will continue at the Casa Grande parish as it looks to rebuild after the fire.

“It’s a brick structure with steel frames,” the priest said. “Someone told me that if they can rebuild the cathedral of Notre Dame then we can rebuild this church, and I think it’s a noble goal.”