Police Still Investigating Granville Towers Fire

One week after the flames were extinguished in the sixth-floor study lounge of Granville Towers West, investigators still have not apprehended the culprit of the early morning fire.

Students were roused from their sleep at roughly 4 a.m. Jan. 10 to fire sirens and smoke sweeping through the hallways of their residence.

Investigators believe the fire was started intentionally on a couch in the study lounge.

Chapel Hill police investigator Robin Clark is heading the arson investigation to apprehend the arsonist and to deter future incidents.

Although Clark and the department are being discreet about the ongoing investigation, Clark said that the department has compiled a list of suspects but that a method or motive has not been found yet.

Police have questioned at least two Granville residents at length, the most recent being an 18-year-old male UNC student who was seen acting suspiciously after the fire, said Chapel Hill police spokeswoman Jane Cousins. She refused to comment on his status as a suspect.

A few hours after the Chapel Hill Fire Department extinguished the fire and ushered the stunned students back to their rooms, Granville Towers issued a notice to all students offering an undisclosed reward to anyone who could provide information aiding the investigation.

Granville Towers General Manager Dennis Erny said that several students already have come forward with information but that none of them know the identity of the arsonist.

Erny said that because last week's fire was the second in Granville Towers this school year, he fears a third is more likely to happen.

"The reward was brought about under advice from the Fire Department because it was the second incident. We wanted to prevent this from becoming a series of occurrences like (Morrison Residence Hall)," said Erny, referencing a series of fires in Morrison in fall 1999.

In Nov. 1999, then-sophomore Daniel Sarrell pleaded guilty to one count of arson after he was caught on surveillance by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Chapel Hill police officials refused to comment on a potential link between the two arson cases but stressed that the prevention of such crimes is imperative.

The reward money will come directly from the Granville Towers budget, adding to the $15,000 in estimated damage from the fire, Erny said.

Since the fire, Granville Towers has increased security patrols at night and is locking all floor lounges at 1 a.m.

If you have any information regarding the investigation, please contact either Granville Towers at 370-4500 or the Chapel Hill Police Investigations Department at 968-2767.

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.