Residents of the Seminole Ridge apartment complex received a second scare with the burning of another unoccupied building last Friday morning.
“It was awful,” said Seminole Ridge General Manager Kevin Williams. “I got the call at 2 a.m. and (from out-of-town) was able to make it by 7 a.m.”
The fire began shortly before 2 a.m. in the vacant building and burned for nearly two hours before being extinguished. Rain began earlier in the evening, which may have been a blessing for nearby housing.
Residents of neighboring apartment buildings gathered to watch as flames raged through the building.
“You could smell the burning plastic,” said Karen Rookard, an Upper Class Suites resident. “The cinders were falling onto our cars here in our parking lot.”
Williams and other Seminole Ridge employees were in meetings with investigators and arson officials all day last Friday to discuss procedure and safety measures. Some students raised concerns about their safety in the occupied buildings.
“They are fine, that night they were able to stay in their buildings (the evening of the fire) if they wanted,” Williams said. “They weren’t affected.”
Wednesday night, Williams, along with Johnson City Chief Building Official Steven Shell and Fire Chief Paul Souder held an open meeting to address safety issues and concerns at ETSU’s Culp Center.
“Currently, we have doubled security,” Williams said. “There is someone on that site 24 hours a day.”
Williams said two guards will be posted on the site, one for the occupied buildings and one for the construction site.
Many other security measures are also being put into place, including upgrading the alarm system which would automatically notify 911 officials, and setting up video surveillance. New lighting issues are also being addressed.
“We’re trying to get that done,” Williams said. “That is not an overnight thing we can do.”
As for speculation on the identity of a suspect, the investigation remains ongoing. A $10,000 reward is being offered for the arrest and successful conviction of the correct suspect.
Also, at the meeting, many students expressed concerns about the messages that consisted of signs and symbols found lining the walls, and asked if perhaps these were gang related. Fire Chief Souder said the symbols have been sent to experts for evaluation, and that gang related behavior is considered a possibility.
“We think there is more than one person involved,” he said. “These people, I think, have left a calling card and we’re looking at it pretty closely.”
Souder said students or residents who witness any kind ofsuspicious behavior should report it immediately.
“I can assure you this has not been swept under the rug, neither was the first one,” he said.
As for concerns of damaged property, including resident vehicles, Williams said the insurance company will be taking care of it.
However, many students are considering breaking their lease agreements out of fear for their safety.
“At this point, I’m not prepared to do that,” Williams said.
Shell assured residents that buildings currently finished and occupied are safe, and have a variety of security measures to protect residents.
“That sprinkler system is going to help protect you,” he said.
Students also mentioned their inability to hear fire alarms and smoke detectors in various places throughout the building. Souder recommended residents with this problem contact maintenance personnel immediately. Williams assured the problem would be resolved.
Souder believes students are safe and individuals are not being targeted.
As for an end to the investigation, “I think we’re getting pretty close,” he said.
Williams encouraged anyone with questions or any information to contact him or the city fire or police department.
“We are doubling security and doing everything we can to make sure it does not happen again,” Williams said. “Whoever it is seems to be targeting unoccupied buildings.”
For more information or to ask questions, call Williams at (540) 432-9477.

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