Churches Urged To Be On Arson Watch

ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia's top fire official is urging churches to
bolster security after two metro Atlanta churches were set on fire.

Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine
said officials are investigating whether the arsons at churches in
East Point and Morrow are connected.

Fire consumed the Calvary Church in Morrow when it was set on
fire early Sunday. Investigators say they also found evidence of an accelerant on the inside and outside of the East Point First
Mallalieu United Methodist Church, which was set on fire Nov. 6.

Oxendine urged neighborhoods to start church watches to monitor the buildings on days without services. He said church fires are particularly devastating to areas "where churches are the social as well as spiritual heart of the community."