Officer wakes residents to warn of house fire intentionally set in Cornelius

CORNELIUS, N.C. — A suspicious fire at a home in Cornelius is under investigation, but the people sleeping inside at the time of the fire got lucky when an officer passed by and woke them up overnight.

Around midnight, an officer was patrolling on Smith Circle and found a vehicle and house on fire, according to Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue. The officer radioed for help and then “began alerting the sleeping occupants that their home was on fire.”

According to the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s Office, investigators believe the fire was intentionally set based on evidence at the scene. Cornelius Police told the Fire Marshal’s Office that they have a possible suspect in the case.

Firefighters arrived and were able to control the flames in about 20 minutes, according to the Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue. Nobody was reported injured.

According to the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s Office, the investigation is still ongoing.

Neighbors said they heard explosions before setting the flames.

“We were woken up by some really loud things,” neighbor Kevin Ross told Channel 9. “Didn’t know what was going on. (It) kind of sounded like a dump truck was kind of messing around with some stuff, but a lot louder than that.”

If you have information about a suspicious person, vehicle or activity in the area of Smith Circle, Nannie Potts Lane, or Statesville Road around 11:45 p.m., you’re urged to call Cornelius Police at 704-892-7773.

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