A $5000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in a series of Texas church fires.
Since January 1, 2010 six East Texas churches have been set on fire.
The latest were in Tyler, Texas on Jan. 16, 2010 when fire destroyed the Tyland Baptist Church, and Jan. 17 the First Church of Christ. Damage was estimated at $750,000.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are bringing special agents and their National Response Team (NRT) to investigate the Tyler fires.
Ken Chisholm, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of AT’s Dallas Field Division said the " ATF is working with the Tyler Police and Fire Departments as well as the Tyler Fire Marshal’s Office in the joint investigation."
“In 1978, ATF developed the NRT to bring its expertise to federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of significant arson and explosives incidents,” states the ATF. “The NRT consists of four teams organized geographically to cover the United States. Each team can respond within 24 hours to assist state and local law enforcement/fire service personnel in onsite investigations.”
Besides investigating hundreds of large fire scenes, the NRT was activated to scenes such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon crash site.
“The teams are each composed of veteran special agents who have post-blast and fire origin-and-cause expertise; forensic chemists; explosives enforcement officers; fire protection engineers; accelerant detection canines; explosives detection canines; intelligence support, computer forensic support and audit support,” states ATF press releases.
“The teams work alongside state and local officers in reconstructing the scene, identifying the seat of the blast or origin of the fire, conducting interviews, and sifting through debris to obtain evidence related to the bombing/arson.
Persons with information should contact the ATF Tyler office at (903) 590-1475 or Tyler Police Department at (903) 531-1090.
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