The man was shopping at Smith's near 5600 West 4100 South about 8:30 p.m. when he noticed flames bursting from the windows of a house across the street, said Assistant Fire Chief Kris Romjin. The witness then saw three youths running away from the house.

He caught one of them, and police later apprehended the other two. One of the three boys, ages 12 to 15, admitted to piling combustibles - possibly clothing - in the 2,000-square-foot rambler and lighting them on fire, Romjin said.

The house, which does not have a posted address, was being remodeled into a church, Romjin said.

Authorities did not know the name or denomination of the church this morning.

There is no evidence so far that the youths targeted the building because it was a church, Romjin said.

"It doesn't look like it was a hate crime," he said.