ARSON INVESTIGATORS ARE PROBING A SUSPICIOUS FIRE THAT OCCURRED EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AT THE ARMED FORCES NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY, LEAVING TWO ARMORED VEHICLES VALUED AT $1.7 MILLION DESTROYED
February 4,
2015
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA:
Arson
investigators are probing a suspicious fire that occurred early Tuesday morning
at the Armed Forces National Guard Armory, leaving two armored vehicles valued
at $1.7 million destroyed.
"They
appeared to be (total losses)," said Asheville Fire Department Battalion
Chief Larry Morrow. "The fire was in the rear of both vehicles."
The fire
occurred shortly after 3 a.m. at the armory, 100 Minuteman Drive, north of
Asheville. The armored multipurpose vehicles, used for transporting troops, are
valued at $850,000 apiece, Morrow said.
The
Asheville-Buncombe Arson Task Force is investigating the blaze, which drew two
engine trucks and one tanker, Morrow said.
"We
got it under control in about 15 minutes," he said. "The reason it
took so long is it was hard to get into some of the compartments (of the
vehicles)."
The
vehicles were parked outside the armory in a fenced area. No one was hurt in
the incident.
Footprints
were found near the site of the fire, Morrow said.
Arson
Investigator David Cutshall said this morning their investigation is continuing
but they had no further details to release.
North
Carolina National Guard spokesman Capt. Matthew Boyle said this morning the
guard "will assist law enforcement in this investigation, if
requested."
"This
vandalism has not affected the operation of this maintenance facility,"
Boyle said. "We are operational and always ready to support our fellow
guardsmen and the state of North Carolina."
The two
vehicles were "severely damaged," he said, although the extent of the
damage "is not known at this time."