On Wednesday afternoon, 28 January, two deliberately set fires were discovered inside St Peter’s Church in Huttenheim, a district of Philippsburg, including one fire lit directly on the altar. Thankfully, the fires were extinguished before causing major damage.
According to police, two unknown perpetrators intentionally ignited two separate fires inside the church. A visitor noticed the incident and immediately alerted emergency services, leading to the deployment of the local fire brigade.
One fire was started near the church entrance, where leaflets were set alight, while a second fire was ignited on the altar by setting the altar cloth on fire. Thanks to the swift reaction of passers-by, both fires were contained before firefighters arrived.
Police confirmed that the fires were deliberately set, but at the time of reporting no suspects had been identified and investigations were ongoing.