A ceremonial dance house of the Karuk tribe was destroyed in an early morning fire that is under investigation, according to a press release.

Fire crews from Orleans and Somes Bar in rural northeast Humboldt County were dispatched to the structural fire at 1:20 a.m. Sunday. Lost was a ceremonial structure used for the Brush Dance, a healing ceremony for sick children, said Julian Lang, a Karuk tribe spiritual leader.

”It's like a church burning is really what it boils down to for us,” he said.

Lang said the FBI was contacted Monday to investigate the act as a possible case of arson on federal lands and as a possible “hate” crime. A previous ceremonial house was also destroyed about nine years ago, that time by heavy equipment, he said.

Lang said this latest incident highlights the need for more protective measures for sacred sites.

He said a meeting of Karuk tribal council members, ceremonial leaders and concerned citizens is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the site of the burned-out structure about eight miles north of Orleans.