Man charged with arson in fire at Montgomery church

A man has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire inside a Montgomery church.

Montgomery Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Stanley Cooper said around 11:30PM on Wednesday, June 25, firefighters responded to an alarm at Whitfield United Methodist Church on Fisk Road. Cooper said when the crews arrived, they noticed someone inside the church and police were called.

Cooper said a fire had been set that burned a window and a wall area at the church.

He said Derrick Starks, the man found inside the church, confessed to setting the fire and has been charged with second-degree arson.

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church decided earlier this month to close the church, one of more than two dozen to close or to leave the denomination.