UPDATE: Police charge man with arson after apartment fire

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Police arrested an arson suspect in connection to a fire that sparked at an apartment building last night.

Wilmington firefighters got the call reporting flames coming from a three-story building in the Oak Court Apartment complex on S. Kerr Avenue just before 9 p.m. Thursday. That’s where crews say a heavy fire could be seen coming from the outside of the building.

Dispatchers say pine straw caught fire outside, sparking the flames. Wilmington Police have arrested Jonathan Cogghill Graham, 21, of Wilmington, for 1st degree arson and larceny; investigators determined it was not accidental.

Fire crews say they contained the fire before it damaged any interior apartments. No one was hurt in the fire, but crews say the damages are estimated to be around $50,000.