ATF Says Patton Township Church Fires Were Intentional

A Justice Department agency involved in the investigation of recent fires at two Centre Region church buildings said on Friday that both were intentionally set.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms’ Pittsburgh Field Office is working with Patton Township and state police “to solve and prevent a series of intentional fires at United Methodist churches,” the agency wrote in a statement, which was first reported by Centre County Report.

A fire just after midnight on Sept. 14 at Woodycrest United Methodist Church, 219 W. Clearview Ave. in Patton Township, destroyed the congregation’s sanctuary and damaged other parts of the building.

In the early morning hours of Oct. 9, a second-alarm fire caused extensive damage to the former Fillmore United Methodist Church, 2622 Buffalo Run Road in Patton Township. The building had not been in use as a church for several years and had gym equipment inside at the time of the fire.

Centre Region Fire Director Shawn Kauffman told StateCollege.com in October that both fires started outside the buildings and were being investigated as possibly intentional.

An ATF spokesperson and Patton Township police declined further comment on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is asked to contact the ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS, by email at ATFTips@atf.gov online at www.atf.gov/atf-tips or by downloading the ReportIt app.