Police Investigate Suspected Arson Spree Targeting Seven Churches And Funeral Home In Masterton

A suspected arson spree in Masterton, north of the capital Wellington, targeted seven churches and a funeral home in the Wairarapa town, with police treating the incidents as a crime scene as they investigated possible early-morning burnings.

“Seven NZ churches targeted in suspected arson spree Seven churches have been targeted in a suspected arson attack that occurred overnight in New Zealand”

BBC

The BBC said four churches in Masterton sustained "moderate to significant" damage while evidence suggested three more buildings had been targeted but did not catch fire.

BBC

The BBC reported that crews responded at about 04:30 local time on Saturday, and that "The fires are being treated as suspicious and have been referred to police."

The Otago Daily Times described the attacks as possible early-morning arsons that "has shocked town," and said seven buildings had been targeted, including four churches believed set alight between 4am and 5am.

The NZ Herald reported that videos were circulating online of a man claiming to be behind the torching of a string of churches in Masterton overnight, and it listed the four churches hit as the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Masterton Baptist Church, and Equippers Church Masterton.

The NZ Herald also said three other churches appeared to have been targeted, and that emergency services only discovered Masterton Baptist Church was on fire while they were on their way to a different church fire.

In addition to the churches, the BBC said a funeral home in the same area which contains a chapel was set on fire at around 10:00, and the Otago Daily Times reported the Gary Pickering Funeral Home in Walton's Ave was also set on fire at 10am with no one in the building.

Across the reporting, the suspected fires began in the early hours of Saturday and were followed by a later arson at a funeral home, with multiple outlets describing the timing and the set of targeted sites.

The BBC said crews responded at about 04:30 local time on Saturday, and it listed the four churches set on fire as the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, St Patrick's Catholic Church, Masterton Baptist Church and Equippers Church Masterton.

Jang

The NZ Herald said the blaze incidents started between 4.25am and 4.35am, and it described how emergency services only discovered Masterton Baptist Church was on fire while they were on their way to a different church fire.

The Otago Daily Times said police believed the four churches were set alight between 4am and 5am, and it added that the Gary Pickering Funeral Home in Walton's Ave was set on fire at 10am.

That same local report said police believe the funeral home was chosen because it has a chapel, and it stated that "The method was the same in all cases: a petrol bomb was thrown through a window."

The Otago Daily Times also reported that police checked other churches and found evidence that three other churches had been targeted but did not catch alight, naming St James Union Church and the Kingdom Hall in High Street and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the suburb of Lansdowne.

While the BBC and Otago Daily Times both described seven buildings targeted, the WORLD News Group account said officials said someone targeted at least six churches and the chapel of a funeral home, with four houses of worship sustaining moderate to significant damage.

Videos circulating online featured a man claiming responsibility for the church burnings, and multiple outlets described the content of those claims while police continued to investigate.

“Videos are circulating online of a man claiming to be behind the torching of a string of churches in Masterton overnight”

NZ Herald

The NZ Herald said videos appeared on social media of a man who claims to have started the fires, quoting him as saying, “Kiaora, I set fire to the seven churches. Seven stars, seven candles,” in a video clip seen by the Herald.

The BBC reported that a video circulating on social media shows a man claiming responsibility for the attacks, expressing anti-religious and anti-monarchist sentiments, and it added that police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand were approached for further comment.

The WORLD News Group similarly said videos posted online appeared to show a man claiming responsibility for the arson attacks, and it stated that in the videos he made anti-religious and anti-monarchist statements, the BBC reported.

Police were described as standing guard at churches in the town, and the NZ Herald said police were investigating and standing guard at the buildings.

In the aftermath, local leaders condemned the burnings and praised first responders, with Masterton Mayor Gary Caffell telling local media that the attacks had shocked the community.

The BBC quoted Caffell saying, "You just don't expect something this sort of thing to happen, and particularly in a place like Masterton."

The BBC also quoted local MP Mike Butterick expressing "deep sorrow" and describing first responders as "heroes" in a statement.

The Otago Daily Times reported that police duty commissioner Bradley Allen said the attacks had taken police by surprise, and it said no arrests had been made but a dozen officers had been sent from Wellington and off-duty officers from the local station had been called in.

Local reporting described visible damage inside and outside the targeted churches, and it included first-hand accounts from church leaders about what they saw and what firefighters did.

The NZ Herald said an elder of one of four Masterton churches damaged in suspicious fires in the early hours of today described a row of chairs that was “completely burnt out,” with upholstery charred and smoke marks stretching up to the ceiling.

Otago Daily Times

It identified Masterton Baptist Church elder David Dew, who told the Herald that the fire brigade told him they were on their way to reports of another church fire when they noticed flames coming out of his building so they stopped to deal with it.

Dew said, “One row is completely burnt out. All the upholstery and foam are completely charred and gone. There are smoke marks right up to the ceiling.”

The NZ Herald also said Dew viewed the damage through a doorway early this morning after emergency services called him to the scene, and it reported that Dew said it appeared someone had thrown an object through the window with an accelerant to start the fire.

For St Patrick’s Catholic Church, the NZ Herald quoted Denise Holden of the Catholic Parish of Wairarapa saying they were unsure of the extent of the damage because they were not allowed inside while investigations were under way, while she described visible exterior damage including a broken window.

Holden praised a local police officer who happened to be driving past and saw their building was “red hot,” saying he managed to dampen the flames with an outside hose until firefighters arrived.

Equippers Church pastor Matt Cornford told the NZ Herald there were also broken windows at his church, and he said, “I am guessing something’s been thrown through the window but as to how or what, I wouldn’t know.”

The Otago Daily Times added that by late morning she had not been able to see inside the building to check the damage, but it said they knew there was a broken window and fire damage in the front foyer, and it described an RNZ reporter seeing charred damage inside behind broken window glass.

While the suspected arson attacks caused damage, the BBC said "All fires have been extinguished and no-one was injured," and it reported that no arrests had been made.

“Authorities in the city of Masterton on Sunday continued to search for anyone involved in a series of arson attacks early Saturday morning”

WORLD News Group

The Otago Daily Times likewise said no arrests had been made but described an expanded police response, including a dozen officers sent from Wellington and off-duty officers called in, and it said officers remained at the churches throughout the morning with firefighters and would patrol Masterton, Featherston and Carterton.

BBC

The BBC said police remain at the scene and are asking witnesses to come forward, and it added that officers would conduct patrols in Masterton to reassure residents throughout Saturday, and in the nearby towns of Featherston and Carterton.

The WORLD News Group account said authorities in Masterton continued to search for anyone involved, and it reported that authorities were searching for the occupant of an abandoned vehicle of interest.

The NZ Herald said police were standing guard at churches in the town, and it described Fire and Emergency NZ trucks earlier rushing to fight the fires.

It also quoted a Fire and Emergency spokesperson saying the fires started between 4.25am and 4.35am, and it said damage to some of them has been described as “significant,” with police now investigating and standing guard at the buildings.

The Otago Daily Times described the fire response as coming from throughout Wairarapa and from as far away as Avalon Station in Lower Hutt.

In the longer view, the BBC placed the incident within a broader pattern of religious arson in New Zealand by referencing arson attacks in Auckland and a mosque fire in November, and it also referenced the 2019 Christchurch mass shootings and Brenton Tarrant’s statement about wanting to "inflict as many fatalities as possible."