October was a busy month for the Fayetteville Fire Department and Cumberland County Fire Marshal’s Office. 

Along Bragg Boulevard, a vacant building went up in flames, CBS17 reported on Oct. 17. Kinlaw’s Supermarket was reduced to rubble on Oct. 19, CityView previously reported. The Watch Out Cumberland County, NC Facebook page posted about a fuel pump at the Circle K on Cedar Creek Road catching fire on Oct. 21.

In total, the Fayetteville Fire Department responded to 16 structural fires in October. Despite the rumors circulating on community forums like Watch Out Cumberland County NC and What’s Happening, Fayetteville NC?!, none are believed to be caused by an arsonist, said Captain Donald Tschida, a fire investigator with the Fayetteville Fire Department.

“We have no reason to believe, with the fires we’ve had recently, that they all correlate into a serial arsonist,” Tschida said.

None of the fires at the center of the arsonist rumors are believed to have been set with criminal intent, the city’s fire investigator said. A flatbed truck backing into a gas pump caused the fire at the Cedar Creek Road Circle K, said Tschida. 

CityView reported Kinlaw’s fire was caused by an electrical short in the building, though Tschida said the exact cause is still under investigation. However, Tschida stated there is no reason to believe it was set intentionally.

The vacant building fire along Fort Bragg Boulevard is still under investigation. However, the Cumberland County Fire Marshal’s Office issued a demolition permit for the building the day before the fire, said Tschida. 

“Whenever you get high-profile fires, people start assuming we have a problem,” Tschida said. “It raises a red flag, so to speak. Raises curiosity.”

The Arson Task Force within Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office did conduct five fire incident investigations for arson in October, said Lieutenant Patrice Bogertey, public information officer in the sheriff’s office.

“None of the investigations would cause detectives to conclude that there is an arsonist in our jurisdiction,” Bogetry said.

Despite the string of recent incidents, October was not even the highest month for structural fires this year. It was August, with the Fayetteville Police Department responding to 21 structural fires. Next was April with 20.

Structural fires are also far from the most common type of fire the department responds to, Tschida said. 

“We got a huge problem with unattended cooking,” he said. “That is our biggest problem across the city.”

Tschida asked residents to stay by their stovetops while cooking and ensure they are properly turned off when not in use. Fayetteville City Manager Douglas Hewett also reminded residents never to leave space heaters, stovetops, ovens and other heating elements unattended in his Nov. 1 city manager’s report. Tschida advised residents to clear the area around their space heaters of flammable items, like blankets or clothing.

Cigarettes are also often a source of fire calls, with several apartment fires having started because of improperly disposed of cigarette butts and other smoking material, said Tschida. He advised smokers to use approved containers to discard cigarette butts, and not things like flower pots.

“Really be cautious if you’re a smoker,” Tschida said.

Cumberland County Emergency Services is offering free smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installation and home risk assessments to reduce the number of house calls made by the city fire department and county fire marshal. Residents can request these free services by calling their local fire station, which can be found on the county fire marshal office’s website.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the vacant building fire was on Fort Bragg Boulevard. It was on Bragg Boulevard. This article has been updated with the correct information. CityView apologizes for this error.

CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the CityView News Fund.