THREE young boys have been charged in relation to a fire at a church and church hall in Co. Antrim.
The boys, two aged 11 and one aged 10, have been charged with arson in relation to last week’s blaze at the Church of the Holy Name in Greenisland.
The PSNI has said they are not treating the incident at the Church of Ireland site as a racially-motivated hate crime.
Fire crews were alerted to the blaze at around 8.45pm last Sunday, September 1.
At the height of the operation, 49 firefighters and nine fire appliances were involved in tackling the blaze, which was eventually extinguished the following afternoon.
The Northern Ireland fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it believed bins behind the church were set alight and the fire spread to the nearby buildings.
The church had been celebrating its 70th anniversary throughout last week and was particularly busy earlier on Sunday, although the buildings were empty at the time of the blaze.
“Thankfully no one was injured, however a significant amount of damage was caused to both buildings,” a PSNI spokesperson said last week.
An online fundraiser to help pay for rebuilding the church has so far raised more than £19,000.
The three boys charged in connection with the incident are due to appear at Belfast Youth Court on Monday, September 30.