The FBI has been working with the National Weather Service to determine whether the heavy storms in the area contributed to the fire. A forensics report of lightning strikes by CNN meteorologists shows four strikes occurred in the immediate vicinity of the church, all at 7:18 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The officials said investigators found no accelerate, an indicator of arson, at the scene.
The Greeleyville fire drew attention because at least five other black church fires have occurred since the racist killings of nine people in a Charleston church.
In 1995, the Greeleyville church was set on fire. Two white men who reportedly said they were members of the Ku Klux Klan pleaded guilty to starting the blaze and another at a separate black church. They received almost two decades in prison.
When the current one was ready for dedication in 1996, then-President Bill Clinton visited the small town to call on the nation to unite around race.
By early Wednesday, only the brick walls were left of that second building. The flames gutted the interior and collapsed the roof. Their remains smoldered as investigators began their work.
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