Kentucky firefighters accused of intentionally burning down church

CORINTH, Kentucky — Two firefighters have been charged with arson after they were accused of setting fire to a church and police are now investigating other fires to see if they might be connected.

Brendan Gibson, 24, and Robert Hughes, 23, were arrested Monday just hours after the fire at Shiloh Full Gospel Church in Corinth, Ky., according to WCPO Channel 9. They were arraigned Tuesday and ordered held in jail on $10,000 bonds, WXIX Channel 19 reports.

The Kentucky State Police tell WXIX that Gibson and Hughes, members of the volunteer Corinth Fire Department, admitted setting fire to the church. Both were among the first people to arrive at the scene of the fire, reports say.

Reports do not indicate why the two men might have set the fire. The building is unable to be repaired because of the damage, the church’s pastor, Greg Cheeks, tells WCPO.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Cheeks said in a statement. “We’re left at the point where there are no funds to rehab the building. It’s horrible.”

WCPO also reports that Kentucky State Police are investigating three other fires that occurred during the past month. All occurred during overnight hours, including Monday’s church fire.