Blytheville Courier News
While officials say they do not seem to be connected, the Blytheville Fire Department continues to deal with fires which appear to be arson.
Sunday night at 7:15 p.m. an officer was dispatched to 1800 West McHaney in reference to a fire. Nathaniel Moore Sr., who was on the scene at the time of the fire, said he was in the bathroom of the church when he heard someone open up a cooler at the entrance. Moore then saw smoke filling the church from where a small fire had been started on the church floor. Moore opened up the doors at the entrance of the church and saw a small boy, later identified as an eight year old juvenile, fleeing the scene on his bicycle. Moore recognized the child and directed Cpl. Ganus to his home, where Ganus brought the juvenile and his mother back to the scene.
The mother refused evaluation for her son by MidSouth Mental Health Services. The juvenile's counselor was then called to the scene, where she related that the juvenile has had multiple issues with violence at school and attempting to light his own home on fire. Jackson advised the mother to have the child evaluated. Since the incident, Juvenile Services have been notified of the incident and are taking action to evaluate the child at this time. No injuries were reported in relation to the fire, according to the BFD, who arrived on scene after the fire was put out to inspect for any further arsenal attempt.
Further information has also been released concerning a suspected arson, previously reported by the CN, located at 624 S.E. Parkway. Blytheville Fire Department officials were called out twice Wednesday night, first to a fire coming from the front of the house resulting in limited damage to the exterior siding of the home, and then a few hours later to heavy flames seen in the rear of the structure. The interior of the home suffered heavy smoke damage, however no injuries were reported. The fire is believed to have been started as a result of arson and is currently under investigation as BFD works with Blytheville CID. Signs of obvious flammable accelerants were found at the scene.
kevans@blythevillecourier.com
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