SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A suspect was arrested in connection to a fire at St. Rose Church last Friday night.
43-year-old Jaime Tapia was arrested on Saturday, according to the Sacramento Fire Department.
The suspect attempted to set multiple areas on fire, but most of the damage was done to a back pew. Evidence found at the scene points to the arson being a hate crime, according to Sacramento City Fire.
“We believe it’s a miracle because a fire in 15 minutes can consume a house. This was burning for all most 30 minutes without anyone noticing until we came to extinguish the fire with the help of the fire department,” said Reverend Jose Beltran.
Beltran said the suspect set three fires in three minutes.
"Thank God, he didn't pay attention to the first and the second fire. He was concentrated on the last one. He then immediately left on a bike going south on Franklin Boulevard," Beltran said.
The pastor said there was evidence left behind, including letter that suggest this could be a hate crime, which it is now being investigated as.
“It breaks our hearts, and speaks of something that happened that hopefully doesn’t happen again,” Beltran said.
The church will now be closed for at least a few weeks for repairs.
“This fire doesn’t affect our life in the church because all our celebrations will continue as normal. The same mass schedule and activities will be done at the Kavanagh Center. That’s our parish hall that we use every Sunday for Spanish mass at 10 a.m.,” Beltran said.
Damage from St. Rose church arson
St. Rose Church is a Catholic church located on Franklin Boulevard in Sacramento.
