Arson investigators were studying the cause of two fires Thursday — a pre-dawn inferno that gutted a St. Croix church building and a Wednesday blaze nearby that left a man dead, officials said.
Firefighters found a small structure adjacent a main house on East Street in Christiansted completely engulfed in flames shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Shefton Clarke, 65, was found outside the structure where he had been living and was later pronounced dead, Virgin Islands Police Department and Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials said.
No other injuries or damage to the main residence or nearby properties was reported. An autopsy was scheduled to confirm the cause of Clarke’s death, police said.
“This is a tragic incident,” VIFEMS Director Antonio Stevens said in a written statement. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends during this difficult time and recognize the impact this loss has on the community.”
Twelve hours later, firefighting crews rushed to the second blaze that had engulfed part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church just a few blocks away.
Emergency crews reached the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Christiansted Temple around 2 a.m. Thursday to find fire raging in a building adjacent the main church, officials said. The inferno’s intensity eventually required three fire companies to bring under control.
The building’s street-level second story was gutted, with severe damage to its roof. The main church building, just feet away, was not damaged and no one was hurt, officials said.
