Fire At Shady Side Church Investigated For Arson, Burglary

SHADY SIDE, MD — Officials are investigating whether a fire at a Shady Side church was arson. The Sunday morning blaze was also accompanied with a burglary, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department says.

Firefighters did not initially see flames after a neighbor's call drew them to Judah Temple Ministries around 5 a.m. The fire was confined to the church's vestibule.

The flames and burglary caused $10,000 in damage to the church and surrounding headstones. It is not clear whether the thief stole the headstones or whether the fire burned them.

The 29 responding firefighters controlled the flames within 10 minutes. The Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department assisted the Anne Arundel County Fire Department's response.

The building had smoke detectors, but firefighters do not know whether they sounded. The church did not have sprinklers. Judah Temple Ministries, whose congregation is predominately Black, is located at 1427 Snug Harbor Road, Shady Side, Maryland 20764.

Fire officials say the suspect is a 6-foot-tall male with "medium complexion" and a thin to average build. He was last seen wearing a "green jacket, dark/camouflaged pants and a head wrap or covering," a press release says.

The fire department is investigating this fire as a criminal act. Investigators ask anybody with photos or videos of the flames to contact them at (410) 222-TIPS (8477). Tipsters can also call the lead investigator, Colin Orsini, at (410) 222-8472. Anybody who saw unusual behavior near the church should also call the investigation team.

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