The four buildings are jointly referred to as the Hardyman Center and were being rented by First Church to the Gloria Montejano YMCA Montessori pre-school. Two of the buildings were burnt down to the brick walls, one has extensive fire damage, and the last had gasoline spread inside it.
Nothing seems to have been stolen.
The Fire Department is investigating this case of arson. The morning of the fire, First Church members and staff rallied to close off the site, answer questions from the news media, and contact our insurance company. One of our first concerns was to find an alternate site within the church for the pre-schoolers. Luckily it appears that the school will be able to use Channing Hall within the church, where the congregation normally has services, and the congregation will meet in Fritchman Auditorium. At this point it appears that the church's insurance will cover most of the damages, and that the pre-school has insurance for its own property that was lost in the fire.