A man has been charged with setting fire to a church in Gloucester County Saturday morning, officials said.
Brian Cannon, 44, is accused of setting fire to the Colonial Manor United Methodist Church in West Deptford, local police said.
First responders were called to the church around 6:40 a.m. and found an active fire in the basement, police said. One firefighter was injured while putting out the blaze and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and released.
No one else was injured, and residential homes nearby were not damaged, police said.
Cannon is charged with two counts of arson and one count of aggravated assault. He was taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility ahead of a detention hearing.
A food pantry held every Saturday was canceled as a result of the blaze, the church said on its Facebook page. It’s unclear when the food pantry will be able to reopen.
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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch.
