A historic Black church in South LA was destroyed by fire over the weekend and investigators are trying to determine whether it was set by arsonist.
The Victory Baptist Church went up in flames shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. Three LA city firefighters were injured when the ceiling collapsed during the fire. All three firefighters are now recovering at home.
On Monday, as arson investigators combed through the wreckage, they were able to salvage the pulpit and two pianos.
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These items are an important part of the history of the church which has been visited by famous musicians like Billy Presto and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
"It just shows you in spite of all this, joy still came out of it," said Rev. Dr. Corey Williams, the assistant minister of the Victory Baptist Church. "To see our history will live on and we will fulfill our calling at Victory Baptist Church."
The minister says somebody tried to set a palm tree on fire outside the church one week ago. The House of Worship Task Force, which investigates all fires at places of worship is looking into the cause. Fire officials say the fire was burning in the attic when they first arrived.
