Fire brings up old memories as investigators continue work at Mt. Zion AME

GREELEYVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) -- Federal sources close to the investigation into what caused a fire at the Mount Zion AME Church in Greeleyville Tuesday say{}it doesn't appear to be arson.

The source, who spoke with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly, said{}"preliminary indications are that the fire at the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greeleyville was not intentionally set and was not arson."

But officials said during a press conference Wednesday that they have not ruled out any causes yet.{}

"We don't want to discuss that but we're not going to leave any stone unturned," ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Chillcott said.{}Chillcott added that it was premature to say how long the investigation will take.{}

State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry said samples had been collected from the scene and taken to Columbia for testing. They expect it could take a week before the report on the samples is ready.

The fire started about 8:35 p.m. Tuesday at the Mackey Road church{}and was considered a total loss, much like a fire that burned the same church down 20 years ago on June 20, 1995. Two former members of the Ku Klux Klan pleaded guilty to setting the fire and a new church was erected a year later. President Bill Clinton attended the dedication.{}

Tuesday's fire was the seventh fire at a southern black church since nine people were shot to death during a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17. But senior law enforcement officials stressed to ABC News that there is nothing to connect the seven church fires and no indication of race being a factor in any of the cases. Two of the fires - in Charlotte and Knoxville -{}are being investigated as arson, two more are still under investigation and at least one has been declared accidental while one in Fruitland, Tenn., appears to have been caused by a lightning strike.

Cornell William Brooks, president & CEO of the NAACP, said the organization will do whatever it can to preserve black churches.

"As we wait for authorities to conduct their investigations, the NAACP and our state conferences across the country will remain vigilant and work with local churches and local law enforcement to ensure that all are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of every parishioner," Brooks said.

Williamsburg County Fire Chief Randy Swinton said Mount Zion's walls are still standing but he said that was not evidence that the fire started in the roof of the building, as may be suggested by a lightning strike.

"Once it ventilated, it moved fast," he said. "A light wind carried it."

Williamsburg County Sheriff Dudley Musier called the fire a tragedy.{}

"We're going to continue to investigate what caused this fire. Right now, it's still fresh; we don't know what caused it," he said.{}

Rep. Cezar McKnight, who spent most of the night at the fire scene, said he's hopeful investigators will find the cause. He also said Charleston and the Emanuel AME community taught him how to handle tragedy.{}

"Draw your strength from the lord, come together as a community and meet whatever adversary you may have with the spirit of love. So I think this community has done that in the past and they will do that now," he said.

State Sen. Ronnie Sabb said the Greeleyville community had lost an important structure, but he was grateful there were no fatalities. Swinton said during the press conference that one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, but was released from the hospital around 4 a.m. Wednesday.{}

"We prayed with the family earlier. Their sense of loss is greater than ours. We {}feel pain through them," Sabb said.

Now the church will move into a community center in Greeleyville, much like it did after the fire in 1995.{}

"We were resilient then, we will be resilient, we will go forth now like we went forth then," McKnight said.

Both McKnight and Sabb recalled losing Mt. Zion AME in 1995, but said the community drew on its collective strength with the help of then-President Bill Clinton and rebuilt.{}

"For me, being away in college, to know we have that activity happen here and in parts of Clarendon County was really devastating. At that time, we had good community leadership and President Clinton took an active role, came to Greeleyville and was very instrumental in the healing process," McKnight said. "We prevailed in that circumstance and regardless of how this fire started, this community and this church will prevail again. They'll be stronger than ever. They're already praying tonight. Their spirits are uplifted. I'm confident they'll make it through this tough time."

Tuesday's fire is the ninth church in the South (not counting the one in Ohio) to catch fire since nine people were shot to death during a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Six of those churches have predominately black congregations.

The Rev. Nelson Rivers said Tuesday night that he was part of a task force that{}worked closely with ATF while they investigated a string of arsons at black churches in the 1990s.{}

"My prayer is that we're not having a repeat," Rivers told ABC News 4. "But we're not going to take chances and we are plotting where the churches have burned so far, reaching out to the pastors and the congregations, and also talking to the authorities in those areas to see what they think."

A Look At The Church Fires Since The Emanuel AME Shooting

Saturday June 20: New Hope Lutheran Church, Brevard, FL - Arson during singles movie night

According to Florida Today, a Melbourne man was charged with "first-degree arson inside a structure with people{}present." {}Police told reporters the man was attending a "singles movie night" when he {}"decided to light a ream of copy{}paper on fire."{}

Sunday June 21: College Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church - Vandalism

Another fire was reported at the College Hill Seventh Day Adventist church in Knoxville,Tennessee, a predominantly black congregation. According to{}ABC News,{}Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk told{}WATE{}that the fire{}will be investigated as{}vandalism and not a hate crime because{}the suspect did not "leave{}a message or indication of the reason behind the attack."{}Authorities have said bales of hay outside the church were set on fire, and a church van was damaged in the blaze.

Federal investigators are tracking the Knoxville blaze and several others in an arson database to determine whether there are any trends or similarities, but none of the fires appear to be related, said Michael Knight, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Tennessee.

Monday June 22: God's Power Church of Christ - Arson investigation underway

In Macon, Georgia, God's Power Church of Christ caught fire around 4:30 the morning of June 23.{}FBI Special Agent in Charge Britt Johnson said Monday June 29th{}that authorities are also looking into whether the fire could be a hate crime, which is common practice for fires at houses of worship.

"Opening a preliminary inquiry doesn't suggest that a hate crime has occurred, but rather ensures that it is getting additional scrutiny for hate crime potential," Johnson said in a statement.Macon-Bibb Fire Chief Marvin Riggins told WMAZ that "investigators believe the fire was arson, but that there's no sign of a hate crime."Tuesday June 23: Fruitland Presbyterian Church - Cause undetermined

According to the Jackson Sun, Gibson County Fire Department responded to a fire at the church around 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

Wednesday June 24: Briar Creek Baptist Church - Arson investigation underway

The official said another fire Wednesday morning{}at a Charlotte, North Carolina, church appeared to be set by vandals, and investigators have found no graffiti or other evidence that it was racially motivated.Officials told WSOC the fire started in a classroom and spread to other rooms through a breezeway in the back of the church but the sanctuary was not damaged.{}Two firefighters suffered heat-related injuries.

Friday June 26: Glover Grove Baptist Church - No cause determined, investigation underway

According to the Aiken Standard, the SLED investigators released a statement that said, "Based upon the scene examination and the evidence collected, agents were unable to determine an exact origin or fire cause. As a result, agents were unable to eliminate all accidental ignition sources."

The release also said that investigators "observed no element of criminal intent" and that the cause of the fire "was best classified as undetermined." {}

Monday June 27: College Heights Baptist Church - Arson ruled out

In Elyria, Ohio, arson has been ruled out in the burning of the College Heights Baptist Church, fire Chief Richard Benton told The Chronicle Telegram newspaper. The Ohio church is the only church burned so far that does not have a predominately African American congregation.Friday June 26: Greater Miracle Apostolic Holiness Church - Electrical fireOfficials told the Tallahassee Democrat that the Greater Apostolic Holiness Church caught fire Friday morning after a tree limb fell, exposing live electrical wires. "The fire caused more than $700,000 in damage and is considered a total loss," the paper reported. No injuries were reported.Monday June 29: Disciples of Christ Ministries - Electrical fireThe Disciples of Christ Ministries in Jackson, MS caught fire Monday evening.{}Officials with the Jacksonville Fire Dept. told WJTV the fire was an accident, caused by an electrical issue.