Local, state and federal agencies are looking into what is being called an arson fire Sunday at a Bradley County church.
In a news release, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office said surveillance photos showed a person inside the Christian Outreach Church on Rabbit Valley Road shortly before a burglary call came in to 911 at 2:31 a.m.
Deputies arrived to find “massive amounts” of smoke in the building and immediately called Bradley County Fire & Rescue. Firefighters found more than half the building ablaze, the release stated.
Witnesses said they saw someone running away from the church toward the woods before deputies arrived. The suveillance photos showed a single male in the building, who the sheriff’s office called a person of interest.
Investigators from the sheriff’s office and fire department are working with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Fire Investigations, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the case.