A suspected arson fire destroyed an SUV and a container with logging materials Monday night. The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department received a call from a passerby who reported smoke near Twin Creek Road. David Berg, the assistant fire chief, said they arrived on the scene around 11pm.
“We set to work extinguishing the fire on the container with the water that we had. We sent the work truck up to look at the car. The car was almost out at that point. The tires were burned off at the rims and there was still a little rubber burning underneath the vehicle,” Berg said.
No one was in the SUV when the fire department arrived, leading investigators to suspect foul play. “The vehicle appears to have to been, perhaps, stolen from somewhere on the island. And then moved to this location and started a fire. The container, there was nothing in it that would have started a fire, so we’re looking at arson in both instances,” Berg said.
The circumstances surrounding the fire are still under police investigation.