NORTH PROVIDENCE − State, local and federal authorities are investigating fires set Saturday night at a Pentecostal church in North Providence with a mostly Black membership.
Pastor Eric Perry said a person tried forcing his way into the empty Shiloh Gospel Temple late Saturday night and apparently returned later to set several fires around the building’s exterior. A window was broken, and the fires left the church filled with the smell of smoke and gasoline, forcing the Shiloh Gospel Temple to hold its Sunday service at another church.
“We’re definitely treating it as an arson fire,” state Fire Marshal Timothy McLaughlin said.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating with the North Providence Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, McLaughlin confirmed. The fire marshal’s office routinely contacts the ATF when investigating fires at houses of worship, and the ATF decides whether to get involved, according to McLaughlin.