It was arson-Fire investigators say blaze set intentionally
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‘This was no accident,’ said District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis. ‘This fire was intentionally set and we’re aggressively going to seek the arsonist who is responsible for this crime.’
The announcement comes over two months after a March 29 fire destroyed two adjacent East Main Street buildings. Fire raged through the century-old buildings during the early morning hours, leaving them total losses. The site is still under cleanup in the historic downtown district.
The buildings were owned by local businessman Mel Dixon and Bridgestone employee Travis McVey. Dixon had renovated his building into a townhouse where he also kept priceless Civil War memorabilia. He and his wife, Janice, were at home when the fire began. The couple narrowly made it to safety with Dixon having to be led from the blinding smoke by a fireman.
McVey was at work at the time. While not living downtown, he had stored several items there and had used the first floor for a trucking business. Both McVey and Dixon had complained of being targeted by vandals in the weeks leading up to the incident which prompted another nearby property owner to post hidden cameras in the alley behind the buildings. While the cameras captured youths smoking and milling around the alley, there was no one seen on the tape the night of the fire.
According to Zavogiannis, the case was officially declared arson by the Tennessee Arson and Bomb unit, which spent several days investigating the scene. While no accelerant was detected by a trained dog, the location of the origin of the fire, along with other factors which aren’t being revealed, prompted investigators to classify the fire as arson.
‘There’s more than one way to burn a building,’ said Zavogiannis, not revealing how investigators believe the fire was set.
‘Not all arsonists use gasoline or those types of accelerants. What we do know in this case is someone intentionally set this fire,’ Zavogiannis added.
The person found to be responsible for the fire could face eight to 12 years in prison due to the fact the Dixons were home at the time of the fire and could have suffered serious bodily harm due to the arsonist’s actions. There could also be charges filed for reckless endangerment, seeing that firemen were put in harm’s way in the process of fighting the blaze, not to mention financial liability for damage not only to the razed buildings but to surrounding structures.
Given the fact the case is now classified as arson, Zavogiannis is asking for any information the public may have.
‘Anyone who may have seen anything strange that evening is being asked to come forward and share it with us,’ said Zavogiannis, noting sources will be kept confidential. ‘We don’t care how seemingly small or insignificant the information may be because it could be the key piece we need.’
Zavogiannis said there were numerous people at a downtown night spot which is within view of the arson site at that hour, and noted maybe one of them may have seen something from their vantage point.
‘If you were passing by and maybe saw something or someone that sticks out in your mind that night, give us a call,’ Zavogiannis said. ‘As much work that has been done improving our downtown area, for someone to jeopardize all that, as well as people’s lives, we need to solve this.’
DA investigator Jason Craighead may be reached at 473-9572.