N.C. Fire Marshals Probe Five Fires as Arsons

March 31--ASHEBORO -- Fire and law enforcement officials are investigating suspicious fires Monday morning at five vacant buildings, including the historic Old Cedar Falls Post Office.

The fires occurred within a 16-mile area around Franklinville and Sophia, in eastern and northern Randolph County, between 2:16-4:30 a.m. Monday.

They are being investigated as arson by Guil-Rand and county fire marshals, the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

Officials are asking anyone who has information or may have seen or heard anything suspicious that could be helpful in the investigation to call Randolph County Crime Stoppers at (336) 762-7463 or any law enforcement agency.

Brian Causey, chief investigator at Guil-Rand Fire Department, said firefighters were on the scene of the first fire, a vacant two-story farmhouse at 1706 Will Coltrane Road, near Sophia. The house was owned and formerly occupied by Cleo Swaim, now deceased, according to neighbor Delbert Spillman.

The ruins of the house were still smoldering at 1:15 p.m. as repair crews worked to replace telephone lines that had been damaged by the blaze.

While firefighters were still on the scene at Will Coltrane Road, the second call came of a fire at a vacant store building on Beeson Farm Road at the corner of Flint Hill Road. That building had fire damage to the front of the building, but did not burn, Causey said.

Dale Pierce, who lives a few houses down from the building, said the old store was built by Devie Canoy and was a focal point of the community in its day. He said it is owned now by Canoy's grandson, Jimmy Canoy, who uses the building for storage.

The third call was to a two-story farmhouse at Millboro Road and Mack Lineberry Road near Franklinville.

Tammy Adams lives in the house across the street from the fire. She said she was awakened at around 3:43 a.m. by a driver who had stopped to call the fire in to 911. She said he was concerned the fire might spread to her home. By that time, the old house was completely engulfed, she said.

"The trees beside the house had caught fire," she said. "You could see the sparks flying up."

Adams said she gathered her family members together in case she got the word from emergency workers to leave. She said, at one point, the front of the house was so hot she could barely stand to touch the front door.

This was another abandoned house. Adams said no one had lived in it for at least 23 years. The roof over the porch had fallen down and the building was in serious disrepair. She said it had become a popular location for teens to party behind.

The fourth fire was at the historic Old Cedar Falls Post Office on Cedar Falls Road north of Franklinville. Franklinville Fire Chief Kyle Dixon said his staff had been called to assist on a fire in Climax at 3:43 a.m. when the call came in around 4:30 a.m. that the old post office was on fire.

Dixon said when he arrived on the scene, heavy smoke was billowing through the eaves of the building. Firefighters could see flames in the basement of the structure, but the majority of the damage was done to the upper floor. Dixon said the front door to the building on the upper floor was open and the lock was found laying on the ground.

Dixon said firefighters had the blaze under control in 15-20 minutes. He was still waiting at the scene at 11 a.m. for officials from the SBI to arrive so that he could release the scene. Dixon did not speculate on the cause of the fire but did say the scene had some telling signs.

"When you see a door broken into you can pretty much suspect arson," he said.

The last call was to another vacant farmhouse on Jess Smith Road, traveling back toward Sophia. Only the chimneys was left standing there.

David Smith said his grandparents, Emory and Lillian Smith, built the house. He said his son-in-law who lives nearby saw the fire around 5:30 a.m. as he was getting ready for work.

"It (the house) was down on the ground by that time," Smith said.

No one was living in the house at the time, Smith said. He said the building had been vandalized in the past, but no one had ever tried to set a fire there. Nothing of value was stored in the building.

"There's nothing to do now but clean up the mess," he said.

Firefighters from the Sophia and Guil-Rand fire departments were assisted by the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department in Guilford County. The Franklinville Fire Department responded to the post office and the Millboro/Mack Lineberry Road fires.

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