Alabama authorities probe third suspicious church fire

SALEM — A third Alabama church was heavily damaged after a suspicious fire, and the state fire marshal is investigating the blaze as a possible arson.

Much of the interior of The Pitts Chapel Church in Salem was damaged Saturday evening, the same day two other churches in Chambers County were completely destroyed by fire. Graffiti had also been painted on the 111-year-old church’s walls.

Investigators haven’t ruled out a connection between the blazes. Liberty CME Church and Union Hill CME Church burned Saturday morning, though it’s not yet clear how the fires were started.