Farmington church fire ruled arson

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) - The Lighthouse Church has been a part of Farmington for more than 30 years, it was built by the congregation, but on Saturday morning their hard work went up in flames.

“I got a call about 1:30 in the morning from the fire department saying our building was on fire,” said Pastor John Schrock.

When firefighters arrived they noticed the church looked like it had been broken into and the music room, where the fire started, had been ransacked.

The parishioner’s place of worship was turned into a crime scene, but Schrock said nothing was stolen.

“They had taken very expensive sound equipment and just thrown it on the floor and computers and all kinds of things, copy machines and just dumped them on the floor and threw paper on them and torched the place,” he said.

The frame of the building is still standing, but it was declared a total loss. Schrock said he does not have insurance and estimated the loss at about $500,000.

“This building had a lot of sentimental value," Schrock said. "We’d raised our families here."

San Juan County arson investigators said they believe someone used a match or a lighter to start the blaze in the music room, but who did it and why is still anybody’s guess.

Schrock told KRQE News 13 he was not aware of anyone who would want to target him or his congregation.

Initially investigators thought this could be a hate crime, so the FBI got involved. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office, however, said there is no evidence to support that at this point.

Detectives are checking out some possible leads but said it’s going to be a hard case to crack since most of the crime scene was destroyed as firefighters worked to put out the flames Saturday morning.

“To get a call saying our building was on fire, and of course when we got here to find it totally destroyed; it’s very difficult for us," Schrock said.

For now, the congregation will meet in a smaller building next door to the church as they prepare to rebuild. Schrock said they plan to demolish the building and start construction on a new one in the next few weeks.

The church has set up a donation account at Wells Fargo under “Lighthouse Church Fire.”

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to contact its office or San Juan County Crime Stoppers at (505) 334-TIPS (334-8477).