Three men in custody for connection to Chadbourn fire

Three men are in jail in connection with a Chadbourn tire warehouse fire that burned for two days last month. One of the men charged with starting the fire, also helped put it out.

Witnesses say they saw three men near Carolina Tire Sales and a fourth driving a red car before a fire destroyed more than 30,000 tires and burned the warehouse to the ground.

Now police believe they have three of those men in custody. Investigators say 19-year-old Daniel Scott is one of three men they’ve arrested for the September 21st fire at Carolina Tire Sales. They say Scott was a volunteer firefighter, but was paid by the hour when fighting a fire.

“Normally when you have folks that are firefighters, you don’t think of them as also being involved with this type of activity,” said Chadbourn Town Manager Stevie Cox.

Scott turned himself in to Columbus County deputies Friday along with his brother, 18-year-old Michael Clamp. Their surrender came a day after police arrested 20-year-old Richard Turner for setting the fire.

“It’s a relief, I think, especially to the people that live in the immediate area because it was a bit of discomfort to wonder who did it and why they did it,” said Valory Freeman who lives near the fire.

While many people are shocked that a firefighter is charged in the crime, they’re still confident in the rest of the fire department.

“You just can’t say that all firemen are bad because they put their lives on the line to help you,” Freeman said.

“In all professions, there’s a likelihood of having somebody that may not necessarily play within the rules as well as others,” Cox added.

Columbus, Brunswick, and Horry county fire departments all helped fight the fire, which lasted two days.

Chadbourn Police partnered with the SBI and ATF in their investigation, which continues.

Town manager Stevie Cox said the fire cost the town more than $70,000. The town will apply for federal aid and insurance reimbursement to cover some of the expense.