A weekend fire at a Baptist church was ruled arson Sunday, the10th in a recent string of blazes set at churches in rural Alabama,authorities said.
The Saturday afternoon blaze severely damaged Beaverton FreewillBaptist Church in northwest Alabama, near the Mississippi line.
'It's definitely arson,' said Ragan Ingram, a spokesman for thestate fire marshal's office, which was investigating whether thefire was connected to the blazes that destroyed or damaged nineother churches since Feb. 2.
Saturday's fire was the only one that wasn't set in the predawnhours.
Investigators have said they don't know a motive, but noted thelack of any racial pattern. Five of the churches had whitecongregations and five black. All were Baptist, the dominant faithin the region, and most were in isolated country locations.
Last week, Gov. Bob Riley said the nine earlier church firesappear linked, and investigators pursued witness reports of two menin a sport utility vehicle near a number of the fires.
Sunday, a federal investigator said authorities believe -- basedon witness reports and behavioral profilers -- two white men wereresponsible for the fires.
'They're not youths or teens. It's probably someone in their 20sor 30s. We believe they're pretty much inseparable. They'resomething like bosom buddies,' said Eric Kehn, a spokesman for thefederal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency.
Evidence from one of the earlier fires indicates the perpetratorsmight have been trapped inside the building briefly and might havebeen hurt, said Jim Cavanaugh, ATF regional director.
