NORTHSIDE – Little Stevens Creek Baptist Church was the scene of a suspicious fire Tuesday evening around 6:30 p.m.

Two members of the church went to clean up the church since they would be out of town this weekend and when they arrived, they smelled and saw smoke in the church sanctuary. They then called 911.

The fire was contained downstairs in the basement beneath the sanctuary, which is the original and main part of the church. This church will be celebrating its 221st birthday this coming Sunday.

Officials at the scene said that evidence of arson – believed to be gasoline – was present.

Officials said that limited fuel was used to start the fire leaving minor smoke damage. Investigators were called out to the scene and collected evidence. The firemen used smoke fans to remove the smoke from the room.

Mutual aid was en route from Johnston and Edgefield. Janice Cleveland, a member of Little Stevens Creek Baptist Church said that it appeared that the arsonist drove up behind the church and threw something into the back window of her Sunday school classroom, the fire damage was contained only at and around the window that got broken during the fire.

The floor around the window was blackened and charred that the carpet was badly damaged, as well as the wall and ceiling. Gina Logue, another member, said that due to the classroom door being closed, the damage was kept contained inside the classroom.