Arson fires at Santa Rosa’s St. Rose Catholic Church cause minor damage

Several small fires appear to have been intentionally set in the St. Rose Catholic Church in downtown Santa Rosa Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

Passersby noticed smoke coming from the newer wing of the historic church at 575 B Street about 3:35 p.m. and called for help.

The smoke was coming from the modern wing connected to the 116-year-old original stone façade building facing B Street, which has been closed since 1992 and awaits renovation.

Firefighters arrived and quickly extinguished three to four small fires inside the church, Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Ken Sebastiani said.

At least one of fires appears to have been set in some pots containing plastic flowers around the altar, which created significant smoke. Another burned around some books, he said. Officials said the carpet was also damaged.

Investigators are working with police to find the culprit, he said. There were no leads on suspects.

“It could have been anybody. They don’t know who did it. They are looking for witnesses,” Sebastiani said.

He estimated the damage at about $5,000.

Anyone with any information about the fires is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police Department at 543-3575.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.