Federal authorities charge 2 suspects in 5 Texas church fires

ATF charges 2 suspects in 5 Texas church fires

TYLER, Texas — Federal authorities say they have charged two suspects in a series of church fires in Texas.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman Tom Crowley says 19-year-old Jason Robert Bourque and 21-year-old Daniel George McAllister have been charged Sunday with five counts of felony arson in connection with fires at churches in Smith County, east Texas.

Authorities believe at least 11 blazes at churches in Texas since the start of the year have been set intentionally.

Crowley says he has no information on attorneys for the suspects.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

TYLER, Texas (AP) — Two arrests were made early Sunday in a series of east Texas church fires that authorities believe were intentionally set, a fire official said.

Tyler fire Chief Neal Franklin declined to offer further details on the arrests. Tom Crowley, Dallas spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange declined to comment before an afternoon news conference that was scheduled in Tyler.

Authorities believe nine east Texas church fires have been deliberately set since Jan. 1. Officials say a 10th fire, about 120 miles south of Dallas in Temple, also was arson.

The two most recent fires happened with an hour and three miles of each other on Feb. 8 in a rural area near Tyler, about 90 miles east of Dallas.

That outbreak led agents with the ATF to declare that they thought all the eastern Texas church fires were the work of one serial arsonist or one group of arsonists.

No injuries have been reported.

The first fire believed to be arson broke out Jan. 1 in Athens, about 30 miles southwest of Tyler. Two more Athens church fires 10 days later sparked an arson investigation. Four fires in five days soon followed — three in or near Tyler and the other in Temple.

There was a lull of nearly three weeks before the most recent fires.