Fire Guts Universal Church Shed

The amphitheatre and a trailer at the now-defunct Church of Universal Love and Music in Acme, Pa., burned to the ground Jan. 29 and authorities are trying to determine what caused the blaze.

Police said the damage was so extensive it would take time to discover the cause, which didn’t appear to be suspicious. No one was hurt.

The trailer was reportedly rented from property owner William Pritts, founder of the nondenominational church known for hosting jam band concerts as worship services, and had electricity and a kerosene heater, the paper said.

Pritts sued Fayette County in 2006, claiming zoning restrictions that stopped the concerts at his property violated his religious freedom. He later settled the lawsuit when the county paid him $75,000 and agreed to let him host 12 concerts a year with stipulations including no drug use allowed during the events.

However, the Fayette County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant in August, during the second day of the church’s three-day “Funk Fest,” and reportedly seized large amounts of marijuana, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms and hundreds of pot pipes and bongs from concertgoers. More than 20 people were arrested on various charges.

A judge then put a ban on concerts at the property, and Pritts decided to move the church.