SANFORD, Fla. (CBS12) — A Georgia man is accused of setting fire to a Florida Buddhist temple, damaging sacred relics and a monk housing area, officials say.
The man, later identified as Singhasouk “Danny” Phanouvong, is seen in surveillance video from Wat Navaram Buddhist Temple in Sanford, allegedly showing Danny damaging religious artifacts before setting fire inside the daily worship hall and residential area used by monks.
Investigators say he fueled the flames with items from inside the building, including electronics, triggering small explosions as the fire spread. The temple’s red ceiling was later found blackened.
“He took a lot of concrete items from here and threw them into the van, broke all the van’s windows out,” said Joe Panyanouvong, attorney for the temple. “He used it to break into the main residential area as well.”
See also: Third sloth, Dumpling, dies during rehabilitation after Sloth World rescue
In addition to the temple, Panyanouvong said the suspect also targeted a van used by monks for transportation and caused damage across multiple buildings.
“Everybody’s in shock, and everybody’s sad, especially knowing that the person who did this was once a member of our temple,” he told WSVN. “It appears to be some type of mental health crisis.”
Gail Paschall-Brown reports the attorney estimates damages could reach tens of thousands of dollars. A wheelchair-bound monk was inside an apartment on the property during the fire but was safely rescued and not injured after another monk called 911.
“We have two worship halls he targeted the hall used daily,” Panyanouvong said. “It’s shattered their sense of peace and safety here.”
Comment with Bubbles
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Since the fire, the community and local businesses have allegedly stepped up to help with rebuilding efforts.