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MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, Ohio-- Authorities in Stark County are investigating crimes committed at two Orthodox churches early Sunday morning that they believe are related.

It began when a priest at St. Nikolai Orthodox Church in Marlboro Township arrived before services on Sunday, and was alarmed to find lids from fuel cans outside the building; once he opened the door, he detected a strong odor of fuel and smoke.

Rev. Mikel Hill, who was accompanied by his eight-year-old daughter, discovered that someone had broken in through a window overnight and set the church on fire, causing extensive damage to the sanctuary and numerous religious symbols.

"My reaction is that my prayer is certainly for whoever did this; obviously they carry a lot of hate for the church," said Rev. Hill.

Investigators say evidence inside the church reveals that the arsonist had a diabolical plan. Fuel had been spread throughout the church, and a propane tank was placed in a closet, designed to explode once it ignited.

Police say that might well have happened, but fortunately there was not enough air in the building to feed the flames.

Marlboro Township Police Chief Ron Devies told Fox 8, "the thing that bothers me the most is if the priest would have been a little earlier, and the arsonist would have been a little bit later, there could have been a homicide. It means we have somebody very depraved and dangerous out there and we need to catch them."

Rev. Hill added, "we're tremendously sad to lose our building, but there's so much more to be thankful for, that our building is still standing, that no life was lost, no one's hurt. It's just a building; buildings can be rebuilt; lives and hearts can't."

Meanwhile, a member of the congregation at St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church in nearby Alliance reported that someone used a chainsaw to cut down a large wooden cross in front of the church.

Investigators believe the vandalism at St. Nicholas is related to the arson at St. Nikolai, because of their close proximity and the history of the two congregations.

Rev. Hill told Fox 8 that many members of St. Nikolai had been members of St. Nicholas, and left to create their own church for among others reasons, to worship in the English language.

"Of course in any kind of community, whether it's a Christian community or any other organization, there's hard feelings. Obviously none of those hurt feelings have ever in the past taken any kind of form of threat and certainly nothing would justify desecrating any church," said Rev. Hill.

Investigators plan to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist. "It could be a congregant that perhaps was in both congregations at one time and has an ax to grind, or feels that the church let them down," said Chief Devies.

Rev. Hill says that repairs to the church could take an extended period of time, and he is grateful that a number of churches in Stark County have offered to allow the congregation at Saint Nikolai to use their facilities until the church can be renovated.

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