VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Clark County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspected arson incident at a church in the Lake Shore neighborhood just north of Vancouver.
An unknown person or persons used a rock to break a side window at the City Harvest Church and attempted to a ignite a fire inside early Sunday morning, according to the sheriff's office.
The building's fire suppression system quickly kicked in and extinguished the blaze before it could do very much direct damage, but the church suffered significant water damage from the sprinklers going off.
Over the last couple of days a restoration company has been at the church working to dry out the floors, and the crews were still on site as of Wednesday, operating several industrial fans throughout the building. The full extent of the damage was still unknown.
Speaking to KGW, Pastor Peter Schrater said the break-in was clearly a malicious act. Pictures that Schrater sent to KGW showed just how much damage was done. Crews had to strip carpet in at least two different rooms, that damage was so bad.
Sgt. Chris Skidmore with the sheriff's office added that it's unusual for law enforcement to see an arson case at a church.
"It certainly is one of those things that you'd say kind of shocks the conscience, that you don't expect to see," he said.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office has not released any information about a suspect. No word yet on just how much it’s going to cost to repair everything.
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