Suspicious fires investigated
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on January 7, 2010 1:46 PM
GRANTHAM -- Two suspicious fires, which admittedly caused little damage, still have Wayne County Sheriff's Office authorities concerned, Capt. Tom Effler said.
Authorities hope a potential witness will come forward with information leading to an arrest in the two fires, which could potentially be related, Effler said on Wednesday afternoon.
The fires in the Grantham community both took place at abandoned homes, within 2 miles of one another in the farming-centric area southwest of Rosewood.
The first fire was on Tuesday evening, when an apparently set blaze caused just $25 in damages to a home owned by Barrett Farrington, of Virginia Beach, Va., around 7 p.m., the captain said.
Fire at the Falling Creek Church Road home was quickly extinguished by Grantham and Jordans Chapel volunteer firefighters, authorities reported.
Detective Sgt. Bob Golimowski, whose specialties include arson investigation, has been assigned to that case, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Less than a week ago, a similar fire was set at an abandoned residence on Paul Hare Road, which caused about $500 in damages to the house.
Grantham, Jordans Chapel and Thoroughfare firefighters all responded to that blaze, also extinguishing it fairly quickly, authorities said.
If you have any information about the possibly connected fires, you can make an anonymous call to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 735-2255. Or, you can phone Wayne County Sheriff's Office detectives directly at 731-1481.