A car was set on fire late Wednesday afternoon in the 500 block of Eighth Avenue and someone torched a blanket five hours later on a front porch of a property in the 1600 block of Taylor Place, city Fire Chief C. Dean Heinbach said.
Investigators believe both fires are isolated events and are not related to one another or to the rash of 11 arson fires that have plagued Newberry in recent weeks, Heinbach said. He declined to elaborate on why investigators have that line of thinking.
When firefighters arrived on Eighth Avenue about 5:45 p.m., smoke was pouring from a parked 1999 Mercury Marquis owned by Tara J. McLeod, of 2638 W. Fourth St.
Witnesses told police they saw someone toss something inside the car moments before it caught fire. Heinbach declined to comment about that part of the investigation. Damage to the vehicle was set at $2,500.
Firefighters repsonded to 1688 Taylor Place about 10:45 p.m. to find a flaming blanket draped over a gas grill. It quickly was extinguished and no one was displaced, Heinbach said. Damage was set at $500.
