VIOLA, Ill. — A 12-year-old boy has been charged with arson in connection to the fire that partially burned down St. John Catholic Church.
Flames were discovered at the church around 5 AM Thursday morning. A local man saw the fire while he was commuting to work. He pulled over to wait for the fire department. He was able to capture the flames on video while he waited.
"I was driving to Davenport this morning and I noticed a fire close to Viola and as I got closer I noticed there were not any fire trucks or lights from police cars," witness, Randy Hale said. "So I thought I better stop and see if I need to call the fire department."
By the time the fire department arrived, the front half of the church was already engulfed in flames.
“This is a tragedy for our community,” Father John Thieryoung, a Pastor at St. John stated.
While the front half of the church burnt down completely, the back half still stands. Prior to the fire, the church stood for 47 years. 28 of those years – Father John and Church Trustee, Jim Shivers worked alongside each other.
“We’ve been here about 28 years, but there’s people who have been here all their lives older than us,” said Shivers. “It’s a family and we’ll come back we’ll do good.”
An investigation into the fire led to a 12-year-old being charged with one count of arson, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. Due to his age, the sheriff's office did not plan to release any more information about him.
No one was in the church when the fire started, and there have been no injuries in result of the incident.
The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, Viola Police Department, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office assisted with the investigation.
