July 17, 2015 Issue

Greeleyville, South Carolina—Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examine the burned ruins of the Mount Zion AME Church, on July 1. Investigators said lightning most likely caused the fire but it drew national attention because it followed fires at at least five other black churches. Federal and state agencies are investigating the spate of church fires in the South that have occurred since the racist massacre in nearby Charleston, South Carolina, where nine people were killed during a Bible study meeting at an African-American church. Authorities have not found a connection between the churches or determined if arson was the cause of the fires.