Byron church has major damage after it was set on fire, police say. Suspect arrested

A man has been arrested after allegedly setting a church ablaze in Byron on Tuesday, the Byron Police Department said.

Police responded to the scene when an officer “saw and smelled smoke” near Main Street coming from the Byron United Methodist Church at 103 W. Heritage St., according to a news release from the police department.

The Byron and Peach County fire departments responded and determined that it was arson.

Luke Westfield was taken into custody in Columbia County by the Sheriff’s Office. Byron police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the state fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were still investigating the incident Thursday.

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to call Byron police at 478-956-2493, Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 478-742-2330, or the state fire marshal’s office at 478-656-2064.

Much of church’s interior destroyed

Jesse Thompson, a parishioner, was at the church Thursday retrieving documents from the building. He said the administrative office was set on fire.

“It’s been a long couple of days man,” Thompson said. “There’s not much else I can say.”

Piles of ashed debris were still in the church Thursday, including burnt bibles, and much of the building’s interior appeared to be destroyed.

Jody Ushry has been a patron at the church for over 30 years. He visited the site Thursday afternoon to see the damage.

“It’s just profound sadness,” he said. “I mean, the waste of this. Our food pantry was in here … so people who relied on the food pantry aren’t being helped anymore.”

“I don’t know what would motivate someone to do such a cruel act,” Ushry said.

This wasn’t the first time a fire destroyed parts of the church complex. Only the walls and stained glass windows remained after a fire on a “bitter cold Sunday,” Jan. 20, 1966, according to previous reporting from The Telegraph.

“The heating system was not providing adequate warmth... The fire began with an explosion in the heating system in the basement,” The Telegraph previously reported.

All church programs including Sunday school were postponed until further notice, but there will be a service August 25 at 10 a.m. in a building that was not structurally impacted, according to the their Facebook.

“The damage to the sanctuary is minimal, but the office building has been completely destroyed,” a Facebook post said. “Thank you for your prayers and know that we will come through this stronger as a church and a community.”

This is a developing story and may be updated.

This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 5:44 PM.