Man arrested after fire, windows smashed at Brooklyn Park Salvation Army center
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Cleanup was underway on Friday at the Salvation Army worship and service center in Brooklyn Park, after a reported vandal smashed windows and started a fire in a chapel the night before.
The fire and smoke destroyed winter coats set to be distributed to families in need starting Friday.
Police said a 33-year-old Champlin man was arrested near the scene and faces charges of arson, burglary and felony damage to property.
A sprinkler system contained the fire but also caused significant water damage. Salvation Army spokesperson Dan Furry told MPR News on Friday that staff members were heartbroken about the damage.
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“It was very devastating to see that when we arrived,” he said, “It’s just not something you would think would happen to a place that is there, where people come to for help.”
Brooklyn Park police said they were dispatched to a report of a burglary alarm at the building on Noble Parkway just before 11 p.m. Responding officers saw signs of a fire inside, and Brooklyn Park firefighters doused the remaining flames.
Furry said the fire was set in part using coats and a chair that the vandal piled on a pew in the chapel. He said most of the building’s windows were damaged, and there also was vandalism of offices and the center's food shelf.
Security cameras documented some of the vandalism as it happened. The man who was arrested was wearing the same clothing as the vandal shown on the security footage.
Police said they have not established a motive for the vandalism, and Furry said he also didn’t know what it could be. He noted that the Salvation Army’s service center on Lake Street in Minneapolis was untouched by the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
“We have programs for kids, we have programs for adults, we have athletics — a lot of things we do at our service centers” for the local community, Furry said, in addition to Sunday worship services. “It's sad to see this type of thing happen.”
Crews were cleaning up the damage on Friday, with a goal of having the building reopened as soon as Monday.
“Families in the community rely on the center, and it’ll continue to serve the community,” Furry said.
Donations of winter coats, to replace those destroyed by the vandalism, will be accepted next week at the Salvation Army Brooklyn Park service center, located at 10011 Noble Parkway.
