Gulfport's history museum — housed in an early 20th century Methodist church — was damaged in a Monday morning fire on September 3, which set off the building's security alarm at 7:23 a.m.
There is still no word on structural damage, but sources on site have told CL that there are some holes in the wall from the firefighting effort.
A homeless suspect has been taken into custody, but he says the fire was accidental. Gulfport Fire officials will investigate, and representatives at Gulfport's Historical Society told CL that the organization, which moved into the museum in the 1980s, has no plans to press charges.
"We're just lucky to have had such a quick response to the alarm," a rep from the society told CL.
We'll update this post as more information becomes available.
