Brookton Uniting Church: Man charged with arson for allegedly lighting fire that caused $1m damage to church

Police have charged a Brookton man with arson after he allegedly lit a fire that destroyed the interior of a church in Brookton, causing an estimated $1 million worth of damage on Thursday. Narrogin detectives with the assistance of arson squad detectives took a man into custody as they investigated the cause of the blaze. Police will allege at about noon on Thursday, the man attended the Brookton Uniting Church on Richardson Street and deliberately set alight items within the main church hall. The fire spread causing extensive damage to the building and its contents, with the damage bill estimated at $1 million. 47-year-old Brookton man Darryl Keith Bennell was charged with one count of criminal damage by fire and one count of burglary and commit on a place. The man faced Perth Magistrates Court on Friday February 24 where he was remanded in custody while he seeks legal advice. Bail was not considered and he is due back in court on March 24. At about 11.50am, a member of the public called triple-0 after seeing flames coming out of the window of a building on Richardson Street, just off Great Southern Highway in WA’s Wheatbelt. The Brookton Uniting Church sustained considerable damage according to a Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson. Crews from Brookton Fire and Rescue Service, along with Pingelly Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, and Brookton Central Bush Fire Brigade attended the blaze, along with police. They arrived on scene about 12.30pm and the fire took more than an hour to extinguish. A police spokesman confirmed on Thursday night that a 47-year-old man was in custody and is assisting police with inquiries. The arson squad is investigating the cause of the blaze. It is unclear if anyone was inside the building when the fire started but police say there have been no reports of injuries. DFES said the building had sustained substantial damage to the roof. The church building is more than 100 years old and the inside was gutted by the fire while the external walls are still standing. Fire fighters, police and forensic officers were at the scene and the church remained taped off on Thursday night. Arson squad officers scoured the crime scene for evidence, spending several hours inside the burnt building. Several locals stopped in the street, with some getting out of their vehicles to take photos of the damage while others consoled each other on the verge. A Perth reverend of the Uniting Church also took photos of the charred building.