Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor EL MONTE - Fire investigators and El Monte building inspectors are examining a fire at the former site of a highly-controversial church Sunday morning.
The fire burned in a one-story commercial building at 2600 Tyler Ave. Firefighters were dispatched at 8:54 a.m. March 6. The fire, which burned in some façade on the street-side of the structure, was knocked down at 9:18 a.m., according to Dispatch Supervisor Jeremy Stafford of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The building apparently used to house the First Works Baptist Church, whose pastor was known for anti-gay rhetoric. Two people were caught on grainy security video January 23, 2021 as they ignited an object that caused a fire inside the building. The building apparently now houses a different church, according to Lt. Pete Rasic of the El Monte Police. “I think it is a Christian church. I think it’s a church that’s new to the building,” Rasic told SGV CityWatch. A quick Google search shows Celestial Church of Christ LA Mother Parish as occupying the address, however the City of El Monte business directory still lists First Works Baptist Church at the location. Preliminarily, the cause may be electrical, Rasic told SGV CityWatch. One person inside the church was displaced, Stafford told SGV CityWatch. |
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