Bennettsville police are investigating a fire at church Tuesday morning as an arson case.
It happened about 5 a.m. at Word of Life Christian Center, 1300 W. Main St.
The fire didn’t damage the sanctuary, but started in the recreaton area of the church, which was built about 90 years ago, Bennettsville Police Chief Larry McNeil said.
“I can't say it’s a total loss, but three-fourths of the inside is burned out,” he said. “It's ugly, it’s nasty.”
The State Law Enforcement Division’s Arson Unit is investigating the fire, McNeil said.
Levander Boston, Youth Pastor at the Church, says he thinks someone broke into the church through a glass window, trashed the inside of the building, stole keys to the recreation center, and lit recreaction center on fire before exiting and throwing the keys on the roof.
"To see the building in flames knowing that this is where we hold our youth services at every Sunday morning, at first my mind went to, what about the kids? You know, this has been taken away from the kids for now, we know for a little while, so my main thing was, what are we going to do to keep the youth ministry going," said Boston.
“We don’t have a motive. We can't say why it was done (or) how many people (were involved),” he said.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the police department at (843) 479-3620; the state Crime Stoppers hotline at (888) CRIME SC (274-6372); or the S.C. Arson Hotline at (800) 92-ARSON (922-7766).
Church services will remain in the main sanctuary where they have been held for the past 93 years.
Boston says the church will re-build the recreation center.
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