Gov. John Bel Edwards issued the following statement about three church fires being investigated in St. Landry Parish and one in Caddo Parish.

Gov. Edwards said:

“Our churches are sacred, central parts of our communities and everyone should feel safe in their place of worship. We do not know the cause of these fires in St. Landry and Caddo parishes, but my heart goes out to each of the congregations and all of those who call these churches home.

I have directed the State Fire Marshal to work with local law enforcement to aggressively investigate the cause of these fires. If you have any information that may help determine who or what caused these blazes, you may submit tips anonymously by calling the Arson Hotline at 1-800-256-5452.

In times like these, it is important for us to remember the words from John 15:12: ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’  I’m asking the people of Louisiana to follow this teaching and join their prayers to mine as we love and support these congregations.”