Douglas Mayor Donald Huish on church fires: “Looks suspicious”

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DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) A day after fire damaged two historic churchesSt. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church in the city of Douglas, many were left expressing disbelief.

I spoke with Douglas Mayor Donald Huish this afternoon about the state of the community after the church fire, and about the ongoing investigation into the origin of the fires.

“I’ll tell you, Pat, it looks suspicious at this time because it happened in adjacent churches, but in different places.”

Mayor Huish updated me on our call for an investigation into the fire or fires that severely damaged two nearby churches along D Avenue in Douglas.

KGUN 9

Crews battle a fire Monday, May 22 in Douglas, Ariz.

“We already have ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] on the ground looking at it for us,” Huish said. “Pending their findings, we’ll go from there.”

Huish said while the investigation continues, his community is dealing with the potential loss of two churches.

“We are all crushed by it.”

Huish told me that the church fire happened on Monday in the area of ​​town known as ‘Church Square,’ where there is a church at every corner of a square block.

Google Earth | KGUN 9

“It not only speaks to our faithfulness to God, but it also speaks to our diversity, that we have many different churches in our community.”

While Huish says this is a gut punch to the city of Douglas, the town is coming together to help these two churches in their time of need.

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A Douglas firefighter removes mementos from the church fire Monday, May 22.

“They’re very, very brokenhearted, but they’re also very resilient. They’ve started their talks on how we can rebuild.”

Huish said he was especially saddened by the loss of several stained glass windows, which he said cannot be replaced.

The ATF confirmed to KGUN 9 that they are assisting Douglas Fire in the investigation.

-Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He graduated from Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing [email protected] or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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