Pastor: Kids with fireworks accidentally ignited church fire
ALTOONA (AP) – A pastor says kids playing with fireworks accidentally ignited a Pennsylvania church, but that the exterior damage won’t prevent services from continuing normally on Sunday.
The Rev. Luke Miller says neighbors told him kids playing with fireworks caught a tree on fire shortly before noon Tuesday. That fire then scorched the siding on one side of Bread of Life Baptist Church in Altoona.
Altoona Fire Chief Tim Hileman says some witnesses saw kids hitting fireworks with tennis rackets before the fire started. Hileman says he couldn’t confirm that, but definitely blamed the blaze on fireworks which were found lying all around the burned area.
Hileman says the building sustained no structural damage and nobody was hurt. The fire was put out in about five minutes.