A 14-year-old girl is accused of intentionally setting a fire in the paper goods aisle of the Peachtree City Walmart Supercenter last week, police said Wednesday.
A spokesperson with Peachtree City police confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the 14-year-old has been arrested and charged with first-degree arson.
The fire, which forced shoppers and employees to evacuate around 7 p.m. Aug. 24, continued burning into the overnight hours. It was eventually put out around 4 a.m. the following day. No serious injuries were reported, but three police officers who helped with the evacuation were taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The store sustained extensive damage to the roof, and parts of its interior were gutted. Photos of the damage shared by Peachtree City fire officials showed charred shelves in the retail area and rows of melted merchandise.
Police had previously asked for the public’s help to come forward with any “suspicious behavior” seen inside the store before the blaze broke out, and those eyewitness accounts were eventually corroborated with video evidence that was recovered from the store’s damaged servers, according to police.
By Tuesday, investigators had identified the 14-year-old as a suspect and obtained a search warrant for her home in Peachtree City, a news release states. The girl, whose name was not released, admitted to starting the fire, police said, but no motive has been determined and there is no evidence of any organized activity.
JOHN SPINK / AJC
JOHN SPINK / AJC
“The Peachtree City Police Department would like to applaud the efforts of all city employees, Walmart associates and the citizens of the surrounding area for working together to help solve this case,” spokesperson Lt. Christopher Hyatt said in a statement.
Following the fire, the store was closed. Police did not have a timeline for when it will reopen.
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