Poplar Bluff church fire ruled arson

A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the fire that caused extensive damage to the Lively Stone Church of God at 522 Relief St.

The fire, which was reported at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, was found to be an "incendiary fire, a set fire," according to Rod Hoelscher, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The reward, which is being offered through an organization affiliated with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, is for "up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible," said Hoelscher, who described the reward as being "standard for us."

Hoelscher said he and other officers, including State Fire Marshal Investigator James "Butch" Amann and agent(s) with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, spent about 15 hours Wednesday sifting through the rubble of the brick-block building.

"When I first got there (and) they told me the fire was coming out the east side windows and out of the office, I knew that wasn’t right," Hoelscher said. "I had my suspicions (but) we had to clear (the rubble) out and figure it out. (The cause) was obvious once we got it cleared out."

Authorities believe the fire started at the rear of the church. No further details about the exact cause or origin of the fire are being released at this time.

Investigators, Hoelscher said, did find signs of forced entry.

The church had been fully engulfed, with flames coming out of all the windows, except one, when Poplar Bluff firefighters arrived.

About 10 minutes after firefighters made entry, the ceiling began coming down, forcing them to back out and begin an exterior attack. They remained on the scene until about 5:30 a.m.