Two 13-year-old Wai'anae boys were arrested yesterday in connection with the Sept. 12 fire that destroyed part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wai'anae and caused more than $2 million in damage.

One boy was arrested yesterday morning and the other in the afternoon. Both were booked as juveniles on suspicion of first-degree arson.

The two boys, along with a 12-year-old boy, also were arrested as suspects in a Sept. 5 burglary at the same church. In that incident, the church was broken into, ransacked and vandalized, said police spokesman Capt. Frank Fujii.

Police yesterday emphasized that the fire was not a hate crime, but the result of a burglary gone awry. No other arrests are expected. Fujii added that the boys were not members of the LDS church.

Because of the young age of the suspects, Fujii said, a Family Court judge will not waive jurisdiction and hand them over to adult court for prosecution. Fujii also would not say if the youths have criminal records.

The boys are expected to appear at a Family Court hearing this week to determine what charges, if any, would be brought against them and whether they should be released or remain in a detention center.

News of the arrests caught many associated with the church by surprise. Church Bishop Leo Tanielu was told of the arrests by a news reporter.

Tanielu said he was "very glad" that police believe they have caught the people responsible. But Tanielu said he also was saddened that the suspects were so young.

"Now we can try to help these people become better people, better individuals, better kids," Tanielu said. "Hopefully we can try to help them."

The Sept. 12 fire destroyed half the church's complex, including its gymnasium, kitchen, library and office. Other parts of the church on Plantation Road were damaged, forcing the nearly 500 congregation members to relocate to the Makakilo church for services.

Ruben Paet, Makakilo Stake president for the LDS church, said church members stand watch at the Wai'anae chapel all day to prevent looting. He also said the church hopes to reopen the chapel and other parts of the church that were not badly damaged as early as next month.

"I hope they get the help that they need," Paet said of the suspects. "It just leaves a lot of question marks in our minds about who and why. Still at this point we don't know why."

Police arson investigator Detective Gary Lahens yesterday credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms with assisting in the case.

Once the blaze was determined to be an arson, the agency got involved to look into whether it was a hate crime, which Fujii said it was not.

Lahens said the fire resulted from a burglary that "got out of hand." He declined further comment because the case is still pending.

Lahens said authorities used "old-fashioned" police work to track down the suspects.

"We scoured the neighborhood, and names started surfacing, and when names surfaced, we were able to match them with physical evidence at the scene," Lahens said.

Fujii also praised the investigators for their hard work.

"It was due to diligent police work — getting out there in the community, talking to people and building a case really from scratch," he said.

He added, "The most important thing is that we were able to make the arrests and send a message out that if you do crimes like this, not just the police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Fire Department are concerned about it. You mobilize the entire community."

Paet said some good has come out of the tragedy. He said church members have pledged to work together to rebuild their house of worship.

"Everybody gathered themselves and it made us stronger and it made us closer," Paet said. "We bonded more, and people came out to church in full force in the past couple of weeks."

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.