Authorities are investigating two suspicious church fires that broke out this weekend in the San Fernando Valley.
The fires left significant damage at a time when small churches are holding holiday donation drives for people who are in need in the community. Now, the churches themselves are in need of help.
A fire broke out early Saturday morning at the Iglesia Cosecha De Dios on 9165 Woodman Avenue in Arleta, according to officials.
“The fact that it’s at a church requires the response of our arson counter-terrorism section along with the house of worship task force,” said Albert Ward, Los Angeles Fire Department battalion chief, who worked with crews to quickly extinguish the flames.
New surveillance video from Cosecha de Dios shows a man in a hoodie walking away from the church’s storage sheds. The fire caused thousands of dollars of damage, church officials said.
Alfonso Macias, a senior pastor at Cosecha De Dios, said the fire was set to a storage room that is separate from the main building. He said room is used to store tables, chairs and other stuff used for the church’s operations.
“Seems to be that these people is just doing something that is wrong not only against Christianity, against the church but against the community also,” he said.
Macias said the church serves a large Latino community with many working class struggling families in Panorama City. Luckily, the church’s annual toy drive donations remained untouched as the interior of the building survived the blaze.
“We give away toys with help of LAPD and fire department,” Macias said. “You know the one that is helping us is God.”
Church officials said Saturday’s fire wasn’t the first incident. Last month, they said, someone tried to set the church’s electrical panel on fire.
Just a few blocks away, another fire broke out around the same time at the El Redentor Spanish Lutheran Church on 14445 Terra Bella Street, near Van Nuys Boulevard, in Panorama City.
Martha Cruz, who’s been with El Redentor Lutheran Church since 1977, said someone torched their building around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
“Really it’s sad to see somebody would target our church like this,” Cruz said. “There was a lot of damage. Lots of smoke damage, our kitchen got destroyed. My personal office got destroyed.”
The fire spread into a classroom and a social activity room on the church campus, damaging the interior. Church officials estimate the fire left more that more than a quarter of a million dollars in damage.
“We will be praying for them you know we need more love and more people to be united,” Cruz said.
Despite the destruction, there’s a message of hope and forgiveness heading into Christmas, as the church serves its community with programs including a holiday drive with the Down’s Syndrome Association of Los Angeles.
The two fires are under active investigation and no injuries were reported from the blazes, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials.
No further details were immediately available.
The two churches need the public’s help. People who would like to donate to the Cosecha De Dios Church can email the church at Iglesiacosechadedios@gmail.com or call 818-635-2003. To donate to the El Redentor Spanish Lutheran Church, people can email Martha Cruz at marthacruz802@icloud.com or visit the church’s Facebook page.