Church fire an act of arson, officials say
Accelerant found on balcony, altar
Early Saturday morning, someone crept into the New Fellowship Baptist Church, walked past thousands of dollars worth of audio equipment and computers and set fire to the balcony and altar, then fled as the Dorchester building went up in flames, fire officials and the church's pastor said yesterday.
When firefighters arrived, one of the back doors leading to Old Road had been left wide open, the Rev. Stanley Deas said.
Yesterday, as police and fire investigators searched for a motive and a suspect, Deas said he was bewildered that anyone would attack the church, where his parishioners have worshiped since 1963.
"That's the thing that's really puzzling," Deas said in an interview in the kitchen next to the building. "I'm racking my brains to think of what could have taken place that would have prompted something like this . . . It really feels like someone has invaded my personal self."
A State Police dog trained to detect accelerant stopped at both the balcony and the altar, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation.
Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department, said that arson investigators quickly ruled out an accidental fire when they saw there were no electrical machines, such as heaters, near the balcony or altar. There also were no candles or cigarette butts, other signs that the fire might have been the result of an accident.
"They're right now dealing with whether there was any incident before this. Is there any obvious motive?" MacDonald said as he walked through the charred space yesterday. "You also have to look at the possibility that this was a random act of vandalism."
Firefighters responded to the call at 1:34 a.m. on Saturday and found a fire that appeared deceptively small from the church's modest storefront exterior. Inside the cavernous former theater, however, the flames had roared into a five-alarm blaze. Fire officials estimated $250,000 in damage.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which responds to all church fires, is also participating in the investigation. If prosecutors file charges, arson can lead to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Deas and church trustees said there have been no threats made against the church and that there were no apparent signs of forced entry.
"My sense is that if they got in, they had a key," Deas said, but added he had a hard time believing it could have been an inside job.
Yesterday, arson investigators from the fire and police departments scoured the building on Blue Hill Avenue, as reporters and parishioners walked inside to survey the damage. The Boston Herald first reported on the possibility of arson yesterday.
Frances Stephens, who relied on her cane as she trod carefully through the rubble, burst into tears when she saw the church's charred Bible on a podium.
"My God, my God, my God," she said, weeping softly and gently touching the burnt pages. "It's his word. That's the word we're trying to govern our lives by, and now it's destroyed."
News of the blaze spread quickly to former parishioners, such as Patricia Barbee, who was married in the church in 1966 and was furious that someone had set fire to the building.
"They're going to pay for it, and it's not going to be in dollars and cents," she said in an interview from her home in Georgia.
Deas said he hopes to rebuild. He said he is thinking of creating a fund to raise money, and at least one neighboring church has volunteered to help.
As for the culprit, or culprits, Deas said, "we hope that God will have mercy on them."
"People don't realize that the God we serve is a forgiving one. As long you have breath in your body, you have a chance," he said. "I just hope that . . . they will find it in their heart to repent."
Globe staff writer Michael Levenson contributed to this report. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. 