A Page County man is in custody on charges related to the fire at Gabe’s Department Store in Harrisonburg last week.
Brandon Williams, 39, of Shenandoah, was arrested on Tuesday on two felony charges related to the June 29 fire.
According to Harrisonburg Police, the fire was reported in the home goods section of the Gabe’s located near the corner of East Market Street and University Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was found inside the structure. Two employees used fire extinguishers to control the fire prior to HFD’s arrival, and both were transported to the hospital for care with non-life-threatening injuries suffered while trying to extinguish the fire.
“I am extremely grateful for the hard work of our fire investigators to get an incredibly dangerous individual off the street,” HFD Chief Matthew Tobia said. “The brazen nature of this incident underscores how dangerous this person is to our community. I would also like to thank those individuals who contacted us with tips and information that helped us apprehend this suspect, and we appreciate our local media who helped us get the word out, speeding our identification of this individual.”
Estimates put damage totals at $30,000.
The store was occupied with customers at the time of the fire who safely evacuated.
The store closed Thursday, reopening Friday afternoon.
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Chris Graham
