Pastor may not have been target of Makiki church fire

Advertiser Staff

The Wednesday fire that damaged the social hall of First Christian Church in Makiki may not be related to a hate crime, as speculated, investigators said yesterday.

Fire investigator Capt. Glenn Solem said an ignitable liquid was used to start the 4:39 a.m. fire near the rear entrance to the ground-floor social hall of the church at 1516 Kewalo St. But the point of origin was in an area where a church member had stored personal items while waiting to move into an apartment, Solem said.

Police investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the person whose stereo equipment, air-conditioning unit, cooking utensils and appliances and clothing were lost in the fire may have been the target, rather than the church's pastor Rev. Vaughn Beckman, an outspoken gay-rights advocate.