Police investigate fire where Pres. Packer spoke

Ogden police are investigating a bizarre fire at an LDS Institute of Religion

building near Weber State University.

Police said someone doused a plastic flower arrangement with an accelerant

and lit it on fire inside the Institute's lobby on Sunday night.

"For one reason or another, either because common sense overcame their

stupidity or what, they kicked it outside on the sidewalk and it burned out

there," Ogden Police Lt. Scott Sangberg said Wednesday.

Damage to the carpet in the lobby was only $300, police said. The fire was

discovered by a custodian on Monday morning.

Police said the fire happened sometime after President Boyd K. Packer of The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve spoke at a

fireside. During his speech, he made reference to marriage between a man and a

woman.

The LDS Church has been the subject of recent protests for its major backing

of Proposition 8 in California, which banned same-sex marriage. The FBI is

investigating a pair of envelopes containing a white powdery substance that was

mailed to LDS temples in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Ogden police said Wednesday their major crimes investigators were looking for

suspects, but noted there is no evidence to connect it to Prop. 8 or its

opponents.

There had been some Internet communications on blogs that spoke of having some

kind of a demonstration that night but we didn't see anyone nor did university

police," Sangberg said. "We were prepared and nothing came of it."