By Scott Harvey
Wills Point – Fires have struck two rural churches near Tyler; just hours after investigators concluded that a seventh east Texas church fire last week was caused by arson.
Multiple fire departments responded to both fires and were working late into the night to douse the flames.
On Monday, ATF spokesman Tom Crowley said last Thursday's fire that destroyed the Russell Memorial United Methodist Church sanctuary in Wills Point was deliberately set.
The other six arson-related cases to have occurred this year alone include two in Tyler, one in nearby Lindale and three in the Athens area. No injuries have been reported.