News

Church fire in Roswell under investigation; man arrested nearby

Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church
Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church
By Fran Jeffries
Dec 14, 2014

Investigators are searching for the cause of a fire that caused heavy damage to part of a Catholic Church in Roswell early Sunday morning.

The Roswell Fire Department responded to the fire at the Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church on Old Alabama Road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Parts of the church and about an acre of woods surrounding the building were in flames when firefighters arrived, according to Channel 2 Action News. The fire cause heavy damage to the building. A passerby spotted the fire and called 911, Channel 2 reported.

One man was arrested near the scene of the fire and charged with disorderly conduct, according to Roswell Police spokeswoman Lisa Holland. Police have charged Juan Carlos Ramirez have charged him with disorderly conduct.

Police told Channel 2 the man was “running around naked” and saying he either was Jesus or knows him. Ramirez had not officially been connected to the fire as of Sunday afternoon.

The Orthodox Church leaders next door to Epiphany Byzantine has agreed to let the congregation use their building until Epiphany is repaired.

The fire is under investigation. ATF agents were on the scene Sunday afternoon, Channel 2 reported.

About the Author

Fran Jeffries is a Newsletter Producer. She joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2005 as an Education Editor. She worked as a Breaking News Editor and Social Media Producer before joining the Newsletter team.

More Stories