SALEM, Ore. -- At greeting time during the Wednesday night prayer service at the People's Church in Salem, a man burst into the sanctuary, ranting about "the blood," sloshing fuel on people and igniting a fire.

KGW Photo

Police said the man arrived at the church in this cab after threatening the driver with a knife.

The man ran down the aisle, pursued by a group of men from the congregation, and Laverne Marks, 65, stuck out her foot and tripped him, the Rev. Scott Erickson, pastor of the People's Church, reported.

Two elderly women were injured, and the man -- identified as Kam Shing Chan, aka Daniel Chan -- was subdued and arrested, said Deputy Kevin Rau, spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Chan, 53, was arrested on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted assault, arson and reckless burning, Rau said.

MCSO photo

Kam Chan.

Erickson's assistant, the Rev. Sam Miller, was conducting the service from the front of the church at the time. He said no one in the church had ever seen the man before.

"We think it's someone who was mentally deranged," he said.

Chan hijacked a cab to get to the church, threatening a cab driver with a knife, according to Rau.

The cab driver had a slight neck wound, authorities said.

Erickson was not at the church when the man burst in but talked to members who were.

"He ... was yelling things about the blood, and then he began to sprinkle the fluid and light it," Erickson said. "He was making slurs about things that are most precious to us."

He said 5-foot flames took hold of about 13 pews in the room filled with several hundred people. Some men in the crowd used their coats to smother the flames.

Arlene Anderson, whose hair and back caught fire, was rolled on the carpet and later taken to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns. Another woman's dress caught on fire, but it was quickly extinguished.

"This is all very upsetting," Erickson said. "This won't deter us from having services. We'll go on, and we can assure everyone that they are safe here."

The People's Church was closed Thursday as the sheriff's department investigated.

But the church said it won't be closing its doors in the future during their Wednesday-night prayer meetings for the sake of safety.

"We are wide open, we are here to serve out community," Erickson said. "We will be open for service on Sunday. We are here to minister to the people of our community."