Deadly Columbia fire was intentionally set, two charged with arson, officials say
Arson was the cause of Sunday’s deadly house fire, according to the Columbia Fire Department.
After an investigation, the Richland County Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire on Sands Street that claimed the life of one person was intentionally set, the fire department said.
Willie L. Kelly is the 67-year-old Columbia resident who died, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Monday. Information on his cause of death was not available.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is leading the criminal investigation, according to the fire department.
Two people were charged with arson, the sheriff’s department told The State Tuesday.
Jennifer Ann Clifton, 37, and Leroy Henry Chambers, 58, were both charged with arson, jail records show. Bond was denied for both Clifton and Chambers, who are being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to jail records.
At about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire near the 1800 block of Shop Road, the fire department said. That’s about 1.5 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium — home of the University of South Carolina football team — and the South Carolina State Fairgrounds.
Firefighters found a burning duplex on nearby Sands Street, and flames were visible from the porch to the roof, according to the fire department.
There were also four vehicles on the property that were on fire, the fire department said.
Crews started to extinguish the fire and entered the home where Kelly was found, according to the fire department. Kelly was removed from the property and the rest of the fire was extinguished, fire department officials said.
No other injuries were reported.
Information on how long it took to put out the fire was not available.
Investigators determined that the fire started on the front exterior of the residence, according to the fire department.
There was no word on the extent of the damage caused to the property.
Both Clifton and Chambers have extensive criminal histories with multiple arrests, Richland County court records show.
Clifton has pleaded guilty or been convicted on petit larceny, aggressive begging, disorderly conduct, pimping or prostitution, drunkenness, shoplifting, receiving stolen goods, trespassing and obstructing justice charges among others, according to court records.
Chambers is facing pending charges for second-degree burglary (violent), malicious Injury to animals, personal property, injury (value $10,000 or more) and grand larceny (value $10,000 or more) from a March 2019 arrest, court records show. Additionally, in June 2021 Chambers was arrested on a shoplifting charge, and that is also still pending, according to court records.
Additionally, Chambers has been found guilty of multiple shoplifting charges in the past decade, court records show.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 8:12 AM.
