Police: Four separate blazes in Columbia neighborhood investigated, $82,000 in damage
Four early morning fires in the Shandon area are being investigated, the Columbia Fire Department said Thursday.
Mike DeSumma, a spokesperson for the fire department, would not say if there was a connection to the blazes on separate properties, or if arson was suspected, but said his department and Columbia police are investigating the cause of the fires.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was called in to investigate as well, a police department statement said.
The fires all started outside of residences, DeSumma said.
At about 4 a.m., two vehicles and the exterior of a home in the 3200 block of Heyward Street were burned during a fire that was extinguished, according to DeSumma. Both of the vehicles were a total loss and the house was damaged.
Less than 30 minutes later, the fire department responded to another call in the neighborhood.
A boat cover on a trailer went up in flames outside of a home at the corner of Heyward Street and South Bonham Road, DeSumma said. That’s about three blocks from the first fire.
Two other minor fires were reported in trash cans on Heyward street, according to the police department.
On nearby Cannon Street, a fire was started in the bed of a truck parked in the front yard of a home near the road, a statement by the department said. The truck’s owner put out the fire with a garden hose.
No injuries were reported.
The fires are estimated to have caused $82,000 worth of damages, according to police department spokesperson Jennifer Timmons.
“While we acknowledge that the fires all happened in close proximity to each other, investigators cannot say with certainty that they are connected at this time,” Timmons said in a statement. “The investigation is in its infancy stages and investigators are in the process of conducting interviews with residents in the area and examining evidence collected.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 9:40 AM.
