Suspicious fire at Black church being investigated as arson by Massachusetts officials

A fire at a Massachusetts church with a predominately black congregation is being investigated as a potential hate crime, authorities said Monday.

First responders in Springfield were called to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church early Monday morning after the church was seen burning. 

Springfield Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi told NBC News it took crews about an hour to extinguish the blaze, which left the venue “unusable.”

“It’s highly suspicious,” Calvi said. “There’s been three other fires in this general area in the last three weeks.”

Calvi told the outlet that fire officials are still working to determine what the motive could have been for the suspected arson.

“It’s a church that burned at nighttime, so it’s a potential hate crime,” he said.

14 Concord Ter. Second alarm was struck. Fire has been extinguished Springfield Arson And Bomb Squad is investigating with assistance from the State Police Arson And Bomb Squad and the A.T.F. Division. pic.twitter.com/JsCL8nJf9E

— SPRINGFIELD FIRE (@SFD_HQ) December 28, 2020

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Massachusetts State Police are assisting the FBI in investigating the fire, officials said. 

The church, which NBC News reported was erected in 1979, recently replaced its roof through a fundraising campaign, according to a church official.