Arson Not Suspected in Cherokee County Plant Fires
Posted/updated on: August 19, 2015 at 10:54 am
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Authorities investigating two industrial plant fires near Jacksonville said they do not believe they were set intentionally. According to Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Captain John R. Raffield, the fires at Century Industrial Coatings and STS Recycle do not appear to be related or be caused by arson. No other additional information was available from investigators.
In the early morning hours of August 12, one of Century Industrial Coatings’ buildings caught fire. The structure burned to the ground. Highway 69 was shut down for hours, a nearby plastics facility was evacuated and a body of water had to be protected from chemical seepage.
Two days later at STS Recycle, located just down the road from the Century Industrial Coatings, a large fire broke out during renovations at a warehouse. The facility owner said material moved outside may have sparked the blaze.
