Suspicious fires lit at seven Va. Beach homes

VIRGINIA BEACH

It was a quiet Sunday night in the city's Brigadoon subdivision when Tabitha Nichols heard frantic knocking at her front door. 

When she answered, she found a neighbor and her two children standing on the front lawn. Their home, across the street at 5216 Brockie St., was in flames.

The blaze was one of seven suspicious fires reported throughout Brigadoon between about 10 and 10:30 p.m. Sunday, said Battalion Chief Michael Barakey, a Fire Department spokesman. In all but one case, someone lit rubbish or the contents of a trash can or recycling bin on fire. In one case, a flag hanging outside a garage was torched. Scraps of red-and-white fabric remained, but it's unclear whether it was an American flag.

Damage for all seven fires totals roughly $68,230, according to police reports filed online and estimates from the Fire Department.

The home at 5216 Brockie St. suffered the most extensive damage, totaling about $65,000, Barakey said. It's no longer habitable. Four other homes also suffered minor exterior damage. One person was injured with first- and second-degree burns to the chest while trying to pull a burning bin away from his home at 5140 Brockie St., Capt. Terrence Tassone said.

Fire investigators aren't sure who started the fires or why. They scoured the neighborhood Monday, examining melted recycling bins and charred houses and interviewing residents. But as of 8 a.m. today, investigators didn’t have a suspect or any new leads, Barakey said.

"If it was a prank, they underestimated themselves," said Tassone, a deputy fire marshal who's working the investigation. "It's very serious when you're lighting a trash can on fire that is up against an occupied dwelling at night."

An 8-year-old boy was asleep in a bedroom above where the fire started at 5216 Brockie St., investigators said. Setting fire to an occupied dwelling is a Class 3 felony punishable by five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

It doesn't appear fuel was used in any of the fires, but it would've been easy to ignite the contents of the receptacles using matches or a lighter, Tassone said. Investigators said it's too soon to speculate whether the incidents may have been a teen prank, but they have said juvenile arsons tend to spike during the summer.

Last year, police arrested 17 adults and 11 juveniles for setting fires.

The family at 5216 Brockie St. had moved in about a week before the fire, Nichols said. She said they're a Navy family and had just unpacked their last box.

"School is starting soon, and now she has no place to live," Nichols said. "It's terrifying. I don't want to put my trash can out.... You can't display a flag because you're afraid that it's gonna get put on fire."

For now, Nichols and her neighbors have taken down their flags and moved their trash cans inside.

"It's scary," Brigadoon resident Shannan Robert said. "They didn't realize you can kill someone."

Four of the fires occurred on Brockie Street, and one each took place on Lola Drive, MacQueen Drive and Albright Drive, Barakey said.

The Fire Department is asking that anyone with information about the arsons call Fire Investigator Don A. Moss at (757) 385-1775. They can also call (757) 385-4228 and ask for Fire Investigations or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Solvers at (888) LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com