The State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering an up to $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever’s responsible for setting two recent fires in Stephens County.
Investigators say similarities between the fires indicate they were likely set by the same person or people. Both fires were set on Dec. 26, 2019, and both fires were set to abandoned structures within a half-mile of one another.
The first fire occurred around 2 p.m. on Dec. 26 at 500 West Currahee Street in Toccoa. The abandoned storage building was housing lumber from a business that had been on the property before being torn down several years ago. The metal 22-year-old, 1,500 square-foot structure was not connected to utilities at the time of the fire. The building was completely destroyed.
The second fire occurred shortly after 6 p.m. that same evening at 167 Zebulon Branch Road in Toccoa. The fire was set to an abandoned 100-year-old, 800 square-foot residence with no utilities connected to it. The abandoned residence was also completely destroyed.
State fire investigators are assisting the Carnes Creek Fire Department and the City of Toccoa Fire Department with this investigation.
“Due to the similar circumstances surrounding these dangerous fires, we believe that the same person or group of people is responsible for setting them,” says Safety Fire Commissioner John King in a press release.
He urges anyone with information about these fires to call the State Fire Investigations Unit at 1-800- 282-5804. Calls are taken 24 hours a day and callers can remain anonymous.
