DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County officials said an arson suspect is now accused of starting 15 brush fires over a few hours that threatened homes, apartments and a mosque nearby.
County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and public safety officials held a briefing Tuesday, saying they are confident they have the arsonist in custody and that there is no danger to the community.
“It became very clear to us early on that this was the work of an intentional arsonist,” Cochran-Johnson said.
The first fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. Sunday near the GSU Clarkston campus.
First responders quickly got more reports of fires nearby, totaling 15 over the next 8 hours into the early morning Monday.
The flames threatened homes, a mosque and nearby apartment building, but no structures were lost.
They don’t yet know exactly why the unnamed suspect did it and have not released what he was carrying, but police and firefighters now believe the arsonist was working alone.
“The distance and the frequency in which they started to come out let us know it was a much larger situation then just a brush fire that was getting out of control,” said Melvin Carter, DeKalb County Interim Fire Chief.
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