Florida Fire Marshal Rules Church Fire an Accident

State investigators say a fire that destroyed a predominantly black church in Florida’s capital was accidental and not the work of an arsonist.

Some reports had linked the fire last week at Greater Miracle Temple in Tallahassee to other black churches in Southern states that have been targeted by arsonists in the wake of the slayings of nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

State Fire Marshal Research Analyst Kayla Anderson tells the Tallahassee Democrat that the fire at Greater Miracle Temple started when a tree branch fell onto some exposed electrical wires.

The final report on the fire is still pending, but Anderson says the blaze was accidental.

Related:

• Report: Arson Rarely the Cause of Southern Church Fires
• North Carolina Investigators Say Church Fire Was Arson, $250K in Damage
• S.C. Church Fire Causes $300,000 Damage, Arson Ruled Out