The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious fire at a Wildwood Road home that they say is the third fire in a month at the same location.
Fire officials and detectives responded to a call Wednesday just after 8 p.m. to find a storage building and three cars on fire at 5555 Wildwood Road.
Fire Marshal Aaron Youngblood said it appears the fire was intentionally set and although officials have few details, they know there were two separate fires.
“One fire did not start the other,” Youngblood said.
Rowan Sheriff’s Capt. John Sifford said there was a 1972 Chevrolet pickup valued at $500, a 1986 Plymouth Voyager also valued at $500 and a 1988 Cadillac Deville parked on the property. Officials did not place a value on the Cadillac. All three vehicles were destroyed, along with the storage building.
The Fire Marshal’s Office turned the investigation over to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the case as arson.
The property owner, Donna Jackson, was displaced following the first fire that occurred Sept. 6. Jackson told authorities she was temporarily trapped inside her mobile home when she was awakened to a fire around midnight, but was able to get out on her own at the last minute. Officials were looking to see if the fire was intentionally set.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross placed Jackson in a local hotel the night of the first fire. She returned to the home the morning of Sept. 7 to see if there were items she could collect. When she arrived, the mobile home was completely engulfed in flames.
“The only thing that was left was the brick foundation,” said Fire Investigator Mark Troublefield.
He said the cause of that fire was undetermined because investigators weren’t sure if it rekindled from the previous night or if it was a new fire.
Someone saw three males in the area the night of the most recent fire, but no descriptions were given.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.