EXCLUSIVE: Fire Consumes Mexican Border City Church Days After Another Pastor Threatened

A suspicious fire consumed a church in a Mexican border city over the weekend after Gulf Cartel gunmen threatened another pastor in the same city.

The fire occurred in Miguel Aleman at the Las Americas Christian Center.

Firefighters rushed to the church to put out the flames, however, most of the building sustained heavy damage. The pastor’s family was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

“The sinister (fire) was a little strong, I think a little more so because everything in the church room was quite affected,” said Pastor Lucio Humberto Villanueva in Spanish. “Also because of the smoke, the electricity cables were burned, the walls of the church — both the temple and the floors. They burst. It was too hot.”

In an interview with Breitbart Texas, Villanueva revealed that he had been ministering in Miguel Aleman for six years and this is the first time he faced any security issues. Even though Miguel Aleman has a strong presence by cartel members, Villanueva said he has never had any issues with the criminal elements at his welcoming church.

Authorities have not determined if the case was arson, however, the fire comes days after another pastor in the same city was carjacked and threatened by cartel gunmen. Miguel Aleman has seen a rise in violence as the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas seeks turf in the region. The struggles have led to an increase in Gulf Cartel gunmen trying to violently hold control.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities.  The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “C.P. Mireles” from Tamaulipas.