Haverhill Church Damaged In Suspected Arson

HAVERHILL (CBS) - They know they are lucky that a fire at the Riverside Church in Haverhill was contained and no one was hurt.

President of the Church Council, Judy Cannon says, "We were very, very fortunate God was watching us cause that's as far as it got."

But the damage is easy to see and cleanup crews are worked late into the night.

"We got a call around 20 minutes of four that the church was on fire," Cannon told WBZ-TV.

Flames were shooting around the building, but even more disturbing investigators say it appears this was no accident.

The fire started by the back door and quickly spread around the side of the building.

Fire crews stopped it before it went too far and the nursery is just inside the window.

"It makes me very sad and angry and conflicted why anyone would want to do something like that," Cannon says. "Is it a hate crime? Is it someone who had nothing better to do, they thought they would set the church on fire?"

And while the damage is disturbing, the pastor says services won't be stopped.

"I believe that this which meant to make us weak will draw us together and make us stronger I really believe that," Pastor Paul Soucy says.

This isn't the first fire at the church.  It burned to the ground in the 1970's too.

They are just thankful the fire didn't destroy the church this time. Services will be held Sunday.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.  Anyone with information should call the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229.