Authorities are investigating as possible hate crimes two arson incidents at Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School, a private parochial school in Summerlin.
Kevin Dunning, the school's executive director, said authorities believe glass bottles filled with a flammable fluid scorched the side of a portable classroom on the southwest part of the campus, located at 2015 S. Hualapai Way just south of Charleston Boulevard.
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Las Vegas police, the Clark County Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all are investigating the arson incidents. In addition, the Las Vegas Fire Department's bomb squad is providing assistance.
The federal law enforcement agency was called in because the incident can be considered a hate crime since Faith Lutheran is a religious school, Dunning said. Hate crimes, which may carry harsher penalties, are defined under federal law as those motivated by hatred, bias or prejudice based on factors such as race, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 specifies that arson against religious institutions initially be investigated as hate crimes.
The first incident was discovered Wednesday but might have occurred before then, Dunning said. Police received calls about another fire early Thursday morning before school was in session, he said. Both fires burned themselves out, he said. The only visible evidence was broken glass and burn marks, Dunning said. He said investigators believe gasoline might have been used in the glass bottles.
All of the school's 1,240 students, who began their school year Monday, were given letters to bring home alerting families to the arson investigations. Dunning said it is standard procedure to let parents know about anything that might affect students' safety.
Dunning said investigators don't believe the fire was started by a current student but haven't ruled out former students as suspects. The motivations behind the fires are unknown, he said.
Investigators would disclose few details of the investigations.
Dunning said the school already has taken precautionary measures by increasing security on the campus day and night. "We believe the school is safe, and now it's just finding out who did this," he said.
