Three recent fires at retail stores in Atlanta are being treated by fire investigators as arson cases. On Tuesday, investigators released “images of two persons of interest.” Investigators with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department are advancing the theory that the fires “were intentionally set as a distraction allowing the suspects to walk out of the store without paying.” A few seconds of the video embedded in the article show a small fire in a localized area in a Walmart or Target shopping store that was beginning to spread.
As reported, “Monday night’s fire at the Target, located along Piedmont Road in Lindbergh, was the latest of those fires. That fire sparked a two-alarm response.” It is claimed that the “recent fires at the Walmart stores located at 835 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 1801 Howell Mill Road are also believed be similar in nature, but it is unclear if these fires are connected to the Target fire.” The news report disclosed that the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) have also joined the investigation.
Walmart says the Vine City location “will open, but two others that were hit with fires will not be reopening.” The article is unclear in the meaning whether the shops will not ever reopen or that they will reopen at a later time. As reported, “In all incidents, the fires have caused millions of dollars in damages, but no significant injuries were reported.”
Fire investigators elaborated in the information they were willing to disclose. They “are not sure if there is more than one suspect for all three cases or multiple suspects.” A significant reward of $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call the Arson Control Hotline at 1-800-282-5804.
