TYLER, Texas — Officials say a fire that destroyed a church building in downtown Overton on Oct. 23 was set unintentionally and the cause remains undetermined.
Rusk County Fire Marshal Terry Linder said his office believes that the fire at the First Baptist Church's Family Life Center started in the kitchen, but investigators are uncertain at this time.
He does not suspect the fire was set on purpose and an exact cause hasn't been issued yet.
Linder said no one was injured as there was nobody in the building at the time, and the blaze was contained within an hour despite strong winds.
After crews put out the blaze on Oct. 23, the fire later reignited the next day in the early morning hours due to wind that picked up, Linder said.
Firefighters from across Smith, Rusk and Gregg counties assisted in battling the fire.
