Georgia Walmart fire: Police arrest and charge 14-year-old suspect with arson
The fire at an Atlanta-area Walmart store on Aug. 24 caused 'significant damage'
Customers were seen rushing from a blaze inside a Walmart in Peachtree City, Georgia, on Wednesday, Aug. 24. (Credit: Christopher Thompson via Storyful)
Police in Georgia investigating a fire that caused "significant damage" to the inside of a Walmart store in Peachtree City have announced the arrest of a 14-year-old female suspect.
The blaze on Aug. 24 "was intentionally set in the paper goods aisle," according to a statement from the Peachtree City Police Department.
Investigators later tracked down the young suspect after corroborating eyewitness accounts with video footage recovered from damaged servers at the Walmart location about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta.
GEORGIA WALMART FIRE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ‘INTENTIONALLY SET,’ POLICE SAY
Flames are seen inside a Walmart store in Peachtree City, Georgia, on Wednesday, Aug. 24. (Christopher Thompson via Storyful)
"On the evening of August 30th, a search warrant was executed on the suspect’s residence in Peachtree City, which included an interview with the suspect who admitted to starting the fire," police said in a statement.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 84.08 | -0.17 | -0.20% |
"As a result, a 14-year-old female juvenile was taken into custody and charged with Arson in the 1st Degree," the statement added. "The investigation revealed no evidence of a specific motive or participation in an organized activity."
VIDEO SHOWS GEORGIA WALMART SHOPPERS FLEEING FIRE IN STORE BEFORE PARTIAL ROOF COLLAPSE
The aftermath of the fire inside a Walmart store in Peachtree City, Georgia. (Peachtree City Police Department)
The Peachtree City Police Department earlier said three of its responding officers who went into the store in the city have been released from a local hospital after suffering smoke inhalation injuries.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there is "no information on an expected reopening date for Walmart at this time," police said.
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No customers were injured in the fire at the Walmart in Peachtree City, Georgia. (Peachtree City Police Department)
Images released by police of the aftermath of the fire showed charred racks of food and merchandise.
Video taken from inside the store while the fire was developing also showed panicked shoppers making their way to its exits.