The Memorial Baptist Church was heavily damaged by fire Saturday night and several other Baptist churches also were either set on fire or broken in to.

Jenni Farrow/The Daily Reflector (ENLARGE)

The Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 S.E. Greenville Blvd. was engulfed in flames on Saturday night.

VIDEO COVERAGE • Press conference discussing Saturday's night's fire • As firefighters attack the blaze at The Memorial Baptist Church, officials say they will treat the area as a crime scene. PHOTO SLIDESHOWS • Church members gather amid the ashes on Sunday • Firefighters work at two churches during the night Saturday.

Police were stopping short of calling the fires arson, but witnesses at The Memorial church found slashed tires on three church vehicles. The SBI, Greenville police and Greenville Fire-Rescue arson investigators plan to launch an investigation beginning this morning.

"At this point we're still collecting evidence, however, we have all these churches set on fire minutes apart from each other so you can take that for what it is worth," said Cpl. Kip Gaskins with the Greenville Police Department.

A fire alarm at Unity Free Will Baptist Church on 14th Street sounded about 11:30 p.m. Gaskins also heard Parkers Free Will Baptist Church, located on U.S. 264 bypass and Old Patulous Road, also had a fire.

Police investigators were at Oakmont Baptist Church, located on Red Banks Road less than a quarter-mile from The Memorial Church, investigating a break in, Gaskins said.

A police car and another vehicle were spotted parking in the side lot at Trinity Free Will Baptist Church, also on Greenville Boulevard. At Hooker Memorial Baptist Church, another Greenville Boulevard sanctuary, lights were seen on inside the church and several vehicles were parked outside the building.

Police officers and sheriff's deputies spread throughout the county, checking on churches and school buildings.

"Right now, I'm numb. My head is spinning. We will have to figure out what to do, and at the same time, our heart goes out to the good folks at Memorial Baptist because there's is a whole lot worse than ours," Jeff Manning, minister at Unity Free Will Baptist Church.

Around 10:35 p.m., Greenville Fire-Rescue and police responded to a fire call at The Memorial, located at 1510 Greenville Blvd. Initially smoke was seen billowing from the portion of the building known as the new educational wing which faces Red Banks Road.

As the flames spread, two fire department ladder trucks extended about three stories high and started spraying water on the building. However, the flames kept moving.

By 10:45 p.m., witnesses said large flames shot through the roof. Part of the middle section of the building was observed collapsing shortly before 11 p.m., and the fire spread to the original structure which was built in the early 1970s.

About 80 people were at the scene at 11:30 p.m., many standing in their night clothes, crying. It was at that time a witness reported the church front facing Greenville Boulevard was destroyed and its 92-foot tower was engulfed in fire. Shortly before 12:30 a.m., five ladder trucks were ringing the church, dousing it with water.

It was at 11:30 p.m. the fire alarm sounded at Unity Free Will Baptist Church, 2725 E. 14th St. It is about a half-mile from The Memorial church.

Smoke was first seen billowing out of the church's rear. Some flames were also spotted. Firefighters entered the church with water hoses and used a chain saw to cut into the attic.

Unity, founded in 1981, has been at its 14th Street location since the mid-1980s.

According to Fire Chief Mike Burton of the Greenville Fire Department, Winterville firefighters and Greenville police officers found the fire in two rooms on the Sunday school wing. They used portable fire extinguishers to knock down the fire. Fire walls and doors played a role in containing the fire.

The Memorial church was formed July 2, 1827. It was originally named Greenville Baptist Church and later renamed.

The church moved to its current location between Greenville Boulevard and Red Banks Road in the early 1970s, building an American colonial-style building with a 92-foot tower, according to a history published on the church's Web site. The building was occupied Oct. 1, 1973, and dedicated 27 days later.

On Sept. 27, 1992 a children's wing, larger fellowship hall and kitchen and new suite of offices were dedicated.

Bobby Burns and Chris Siegel contributed to this report.

Corey G. Johnson can be contacted at cjohnson@coxnc.com and 329-9565.