Fire damages beloved nearly 100-year-old church in Watts

WATTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A fire damaged a beloved church in Watts that has served the community for nearly 100 years.

According to investigators, a fire broke out at St. John's United Methodist Church on Santa Ana Boulevard Saturday night.

No one was inside the church at the time.

It took firefighters more than an hour to put the fire out.

On Monday, piles of debris and burned pews were seen on the lawn. There was also visible smoke damage in the church tower and on the upper level of the building.

It's unclear what sparked the fire. The incident remains under investigation.