A Catholic church in Florida (United States) has suffered two fires in the span of just 16 months, and authorities confirmed that the second fire, which again caused the parish to close this week, is being investigated as arson.
Incarnation Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida, was hit by a fire for the first time in June last year, causing serious damage to the interior of the building.
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Masses were moved to the parish hall while an extensive reconstruction project was carried out. This week, however, another fire broke out in the parish’s temporary church.
On Thursday morning, the parish he said on his website that “on Wednesday morning, October 16, a fire started in and around the temporary altar of Incarnation.”
The church confirmed that the incident “is being investigated as an arson.”
Orlando Fire Department spokesperson Jesse Canales told CNA in an email that firefighters “responded to a fire at a building at 1515 Edgewater Drive” on Wednesday.
“Upon arrival, crews began ventilating the building as the sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire,” he said. “The building suffered minor damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Of last year’s fire, Canales said: “The case is still under investigation and the cause of the fire is undetermined.”
“At the moment this is being investigated as a criminal case, so nothing is being overlooked,” he said. “At this time, this case is considered undetermined and remains open pending new evidence to be developed or presented.”
“We cannot rule out whether an accelerant was used as part of this fire and to date no suspect has been discovered,” he added.
The parish did not return a phone call Thursday morning seeking comment about the fire. On its website, the church said that “all Masses, appointments, events and meetings are currently cancelled” through Saturday.
“In order for our team to assess the damage and restoration needs, we ask that you do not go to Incarnation for the remainder of this week,” the website advised parishioners.
Last year’s fire occurred on June 24, the first anniversary of the annulment of Roe v. Wadethe landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Even though the 2023 fire was concentrated in the sanctuary, and both the altar and the tabernacle were incinerated, a single Eucharistic host, covered under the ashes, survived the fire.
Eucharistic adoration with the same host, and the scorched moon that supports it, now takes place in the parish hall.
On your websitethe parish says it will rebuild its church by expanding it by nearly 4,000 square feet (about 371 square meters). The project is expected to cost US$5.7 million.
Construction of the new building should begin in spring 2025.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Daniel Payne
Daniel Payne is senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.