State arson investigator called in regards to fire at Cooper Tire

TIFTON — A state arson investigator has been called in to look into a suspicious fire at Cooper Tire at the intersection of Main and Alder streets, a double vehicle and house fire on Sussex Drive and a vehicle fire on Short Street.

Firefighters received a call at approximately 8:30 Tuesday morning that there was a fire at Cooper Tire, located at the intersection of Main and Alder streets. According to a spokesman at the Tifton Fire Department, firemen found smoke coming from under a stairwell in the building but no fire. The business was surrounded by yellow fire tape and a state arson investigator has been called to the scene to determine the cause of the smoke, which is deemed suspicious.

Also, the arson investigator is investigating an incident that happened at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday on Sussex Drive. According to the Tifton Police Department’s incident report, an officer responded to 1221 Sussex Drive in reference to a vehicle fire. The officer who wrote the report stated that he arrived on the scene, he saw that two vehicles were on fire as well as a house. The officer said that he talked with several witnesses when firefighters arrived to put out the blazes.

According to the report, one of the residents of the home told him that she and six others were inside the house when they realized it was on fire. It was reported that both of the vehicles belong to one man who was on the scene. The officer wrote that he tried to keep the man away from the house so that firemen could finish putting out the fire. The officer reported that the man and two other black males ran south on Sussex Drive and he heard them yelling after the alleged offenders.

Soon after the fire was extinguished, the officer wrote, the man who owns the vehicles returned to the scene and told him that there had been an ongoing argument with the two suspects, who had sent text messages to his cousin telling him “they were all going to die.”

According to the report, the house at 1219 Sussex Drive was also damaged during the fire. The north side of the house caught on fire, along with the wooden fence behind it. The vehicles under the garage that were damaged were an orange 1975 Chevrolet Impala and a hot pink 1998 Mazda 626.

Firefighters were also called to the scene of a vehicle fire on Short Street over the weekend. The arson investigator is also looking into that case.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.

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