Man accused of lighting Ocala church on fire

Rodney Ferguson, 43, also set fire to laundry machine on patio outside home, police say

Deangelo Ferguson, 43, faces two counts of arson, police said. (Ocala Police Department)

OCALA, Fla. – A man was arrested Wednesday after police said he set fires at an Ocala church and later in a laundry machine outside a home.

Rodney Ferguson, 43, was seen approaching Isom Memorial Church, located at 1320 SW 4th St., around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, officers said.

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According to police, a witness saw Ferguson set the front door of the church ablaze. He then walked toward SW Martin Luther King Ave., where he reportedly set fire to a laundry machine sitting on a covered patio at the back of a home, the department said.

Officers said they then found Ferguson blocks away from where the second fire was set, carrying two lighters and a half-full, opened beer can.

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Firefighters extinguished both blazes. No injuries were reported, but both the church and patio sustained damage from the flames, according to police.

News 6 requested video of the fires, but police said footage is not available at this time.

Ferguson faces two counts of arson, one for a church and the other for a residential dwelling.

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