NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 15, 1997

ARSON RULED OUT
IN CARY VEHICLE FIRE

CARY -- Investigators have concluded that arson was not responsible for Thursday night’s fire that destroyed four vehicles at Cary’s Public Works Operations Center.

"It appears that the fire was most likely electrical ", said Lt. Steve Lee, an investigator with the Cary Police department. "At this point, we’ve effectively ruled out any criminal activity," he said.

The fire was reported shortly after 10:00 p.m. Thursday by a Cary Police officer who was at the facility servicing his cruiser. Cary Fire and Police responded to the scene and later asked for assistance from Wake County and CCBI. Due to the suspicious nature of the fire, Cary Police decided to call in the SBI as well as an independent fire expert from Lexington, NC.

"It was important for the Town to utilize every available resource in order to resolve this issue as quickly and as comprehensively as possible," said Town Manager Bill Coleman. "We’re just very fortunate that no one was hurt and that the damage wasn’t more widespread," he added.

The burned vehicles were four solid waste pick-up trucks used by supervisors and valued at $20,000 each. They were parked beside each other with other vehicles behind the Operations Center. The Town was able to make arrangements to replace the trucks locally on Friday.

It will be next week before investigators file final reports on the details of the fire.

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Lt. Steve Lee, Cary Police, 469-4017

Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002

Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951

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