MAHAFFEY, Pa. (AP) -- A century-old church that was recently burglarized was destroyed by a weekend fire that officials said was deliberately set.
The Mount Carmel United Evangelical Church was set ablaze late Friday or early Saturday, Fire Chief Gary Brink said. A police dog detected that an accelerant was used to start the fire, which firefighters battled for about five hours.
Police said someone had broken into the church about a month ago.
The church has about 60 members, who will start meeting at the Ball Township Grange near McGees Mills. Anna Gould, a parishioner, said the church had not decided whether to rebuild.
The church had been built in 1903 to replace the original building that was destroyed in a fire in 1900.
Mahaffey, in Clearfield County, is about 30 miles northwest of Altoona.
