Four more Alabama churches were found on fire on Tuesday. All of the churches have been located in rural areas and have been of the Baptist denomination. Authorities believe the fires are related and suspect these fires are related to the five churches that were set ablaze last week although as of yet, there is not evidence connecting the various fires.
Last Friday, five churches south of Birmingham were set fire. Tuesday, the four new churches were all located between 10 and 20 miles from each other and were near the border between Alabama and Mississippi.
'Obviously we're going to investigate these as suspected arsons,' Ragan Ingram, a spokesman for the Alabama state insurance agency told reporters Tuesday morning.
The churches burned included the Dancy First Baptist Church near Aliceville and Spring Valley Baptist Church near Emelle. Both were damaged according to Ingram. The other two churches, the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church near Boligee and Gallilee Baptist in Panola, were completely destroyed by the fires.
Authorities investigating last week's fires are looking for a dark colored SUV in connection with the blazes after eyewitnesses reported seeing one nearby as they arrived to extinguish the fire at their church.
The nine churches that have been damaged include both predominantly black and predominantly white congregations. Thus far, investigators do not have a link or a motive for the fires. The investigation continues.
