Two fires, only days apart, destroy historically black Baptist churches in St. Landry Parish

Congregants at Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas are reeling after fire tore through their house of worship Tuesday — the second church fire in St. Landry Parish in one week.

The Rev. Harry Richard, the church’s pastor for 16 years, stood on the roadside and watched as the rubble continued to smoke around 10:30 a.m. Richard said he received a call about the fire around 2:15 a.m., and when he arrived at the church in the 1400 block of Highway 742, he found the church building fully engulfed.

“At that moment I felt like there was no hope,” Richard said.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the blaze. Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were sifting through the smoking debris Tuesday morning, working to collect potential evidence and help determine the source and cause of the fire.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/crime_police/article_325ab146-5554-11e9-80a3-9b7ee324494b.html

Cross-posted in the African American Group.