Officials: 'Human activity' caused two-alarm church blaze in Concord

May 15—CONCORD — Investigators examining the aftermath of a two-alarm fire that gutted a church early Thursday found it had been caused by human activity, authorities said.

"The fire originated in the crawlspace under the church in the vicinity of sleeping materials and other possessions belonging to someone temporarily sheltering under the structure without authorization," a Contra Costa Fire Protection District news release said in part Friday evening, before thanking police, insurance investigators and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives staff for their help.

"Investigators could not determine whether the fire was intentionally or accidentally set."

Firefighters responded around 5:30 a.m. Thursday to the church, 1650 Ashbury Drive, but the building's size and the amount of flames led to the second alarm, Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Peter said. No firefighters were injured.

Earlier Friday, a cadaver dog sniffed through burned rubble and heavy equipment moved away debris from the church site.

"It's really precautionary because the building has been known to be inhabited by transients," Fire Marshal Chris Bachman said. "We don't expect to find anybody in there, but we have to confirm that."

Officials later said no human remains were found in or near the site.

Instability within the site Thursday delayed investigators' initial efforts, Bachman said. By 10 a.m. Friday, officials had cleared only 25 percent of the two-story area that was destroyed. Crews had remained at the scene overnight to monitor it and stabilize it temporarily.

That part of the church was a recreation and kitchen area, and it's unknown at this point what will happen to it. The church recently has been sold, though the transaction is not complete, and Pastor Janelle Maher said the developer who bought the property planned to turn it into a low-cost housing development.

Another part of the church, where worship services are held, remained intact despite some smoke damage.

"We were already worshiping there in the gym," Maher said, adding that the church will hold a service Sunday at the same spot and until June when it will use a senior center it has rented. "The biggest thing is to hope that nobody lost their life."

Anyone with information may call a county tip line at 866-50-ARSON to leave messages about any fire-related criminal activity in English or Spanish. Although tips may be anonymous, all information is treated confidentially and use of names and phone numbers may speed investigative efforts.

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