Columbia Fire Department officials say an apartment fire that displaced 21 people and caused $400,000 in damage was an act of arson.
The fire started in a vacant ground floor apartment about midnight June 12, burning up to the roof of building eight of the Club at Carolina Stadium, which houses many University of South Carolina students. Twenty-four apartments were damaged.
Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins would not discuss details of the ongoing investigation but said the department came to the conclusion that the fire was arson through “a combination of process of elimination and evidence.”
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The fire department also is looking for an unknown Club at Carolina Stadium resident who alerted many of his neighbors to the late-night fire. He is not a suspect or person of interest, but Jenkins said officials believe he may have additional information that will help the investigation.
“But, mainly, we want to thank him for his quick actions and alerting everyone to the fire,” Jenkins said.
Officials are trying to determine whether there is a connection between the fire and at least a dozen tenants who were forced to move out of the complex, Jenkins said.
The Club at Carolina Stadium recently completed more than $1 million in renovations of 240 apartments in the 10-building complex. Each building has three floors of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Anyone with information should call the South Carolina Arson Hotline at (800) 922-7766. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
