THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995               TAG: 9508150314
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Metro briefs 
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                         LENGTH: Short :   30 lines

FIRES STARTED IN CHURCH

Police arrested a Portsmouth man early Monday after he allegedly broke into the Bethany Baptist Church and started two fires, Fire Capt. D.B. Sterling said.

Police were called to the scene on a burglary report at 4:36 a.m., Sterling said. When they arrived at the church in the 4800 block of Portsmouth Blvd., they found a small fire inside near a broken window at the rear of the church.

Police quickly extinguished the flames. Firefighters put out a larger fire in the church sanctuary behind the altar.

Damage - estimated at $5,000 - was limited to some burned seats and part of a wall, Sterling said.

The suspect, Donald Dollar, 32, was charged with arson. Sterling said Dollar was alone and had broken the window near the first fire.

Dollar apparently started both fires by setting fire to curtains, Sterling said. The fires were under investigation.

KEYWORDS: FIRE by CNB