Fire destroys N.D. church owned by white supremacist

March 23 (UPI) -- A church in Nome, N.D., purchased by self-proclaimed white supremacist Craig Cobb burned to the ground on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The fire destroyed the over 100-year-old church in Nome, a town 70 miles southwest of Fargo. No one was in the church when the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported. The cause remains unknown.

"It was pretty much engulfed when the guys got here," said Chief Randy Nagle of the Nome Fire Department.

Cobb, identified as Paul Cobb on the deed to the former Nome Zion Lutheran Church, purchased the church with a co-owner in February. In 2011 he began buying properties in the nearby town of Leith, announcing an intention to turn the community into a white supremacist enclave. He and his followers led vigilante patrols of the town, stopping and threatening residents, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported. After pleading guilty to felony terrorizing, a court ordered him to vacate Leith.

A Nome resident said no one in town was happy about Cobb coming to Nome "after that deal in Leith," CBS News reported Thursday, citing the Bismarck Times. Although Cobb's name is listed as an owner, there is no indication he moved into the church.

The North Dakota State Fire Marshal's Office will investigate the fire, the Barnes County Sheriff's Office said.