ARSON FIRE DAMAGES CATHOLIC CHURCH, BISHOP SAYS; SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE

UPDATE

A weekend arson fire damaged the Christ the King Parish, a Catholic church in Pueblo, Bishop Stephen Berg said.

The blaze occurred at 10:45 p.m. in the church basement at 1708 Horseshoe Drive and involved a "very, very large" area, police Sergeant Antoinette Ramos told the Daily Sketch on Thursday.

There were no injuries. 

Bishop Berg said: "It is unfortunate that we are experiencing these incidents, as are other organizations and faith-based organizations in Pueblo." He didn't elaborate but thanked police and firefighters.

Also Saturday, five masked and hooded vandals smashed three religious statues - St. Mary, St. Anne and St. Michael - outside St. Anne's Catholic Church at 2701 East 12th Street in Pueblo at 1:45 a.m., police disclosed Thursday.

They remained at large. Damage was estimated at $6,000. A flower planter was also damaged.

Ramos said there was no evidence tying the two incidents together. There is also no evidence of hate crimes, she said.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Pueblo was unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation into the two incidents.

In northeast Colorado, meantime, police sought suspects in the vandalism of a holy cross memorial site atop Flirtation Point in the Town of Wray in Yuma County.

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