FBI investigating fires at black churches

Firefighters battle a blaze at a North Carolina church. — (Image credit: Twitter.com/TheRoot)

The FBI is investigating fires at black churches in Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, to see if they are connected.

The fires all took place in the days following the shooting at Emanuel AME Church June 17, with three ruled as arson, BuzzFeed News reports. Officials have yet to determine the cause of a fourth fire at Grover Grove Baptist Church in Warrenville, South Carolina. "They're being investigated to determine who is responsible and what motives are behind them," FBI spokesperson Paul Bresson said. "I'm not sure there is any reason to link them together at this point."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.