Church fires in Topeka, one wants to press charges

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Two Topeka churches had property intentionally set on fire last night.

Area residents shared pictures of the fire on social media around 7:36 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18. The Trinity Presbyterian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship reportedly suffered property damage in the form of a charred fence and trees.

At 6:45 p.m., the Topeka Fire Department responded to a fire at the Trinity Presbyterian Church at SW 21st and Edgewater Terrace. A fire was seen close to a fence near the church. Crews were able to extinguish the fire.

A fire at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship saw significant damage from the fire.

As a result of the fires, a 15-year-old male was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Juvenile Detention Center on the charge of Arson: Unknown Circumstance.

The churches are located across the street from each other. When asked, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship said it would press charges concerning this incident.

Both churches were unoccupied at the time.

"TPD and TFD want to thank the community for their vigilance and assistance during this incident that resulted in an arrest," City of Topeka Spokeswoman Rosie Nichols said.

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