Police Chief: Fire at Box Elder Church May Have Been Arson

BOX ELDER, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a fire at a Box Elder church may have been arson.

Box Elder Police Chief Jason Dubbs says the Wednesday morning fire at the Harvest Time Free Will Baptist Church was suspicious. But he emphasized that the cause wouldn't be known until the investigation was finished.

The Rev. Tim Coats tells the Rapid City Journal that the church seemed not to sustain structural damage but most of the interior furnishings were destroyed.

Coats says the church will be unusable for upcoming services. He says the Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department offered the use of its hall.

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