A man who says a suspicious fire is to blame for the destruction of a family home says he is devastated to see it burned to the ground and that the State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information.
Jamie Toney sifted through the remains at 66 Old Morgantown Road in Foxworth Wednesday with Deputy Fire Marshal Ben Brown. They both were looking for answers into a fire that occurred Saturday night and prompted the attention of many people in attendance at Columbia’s downtown events. Explosions from oxygen bottles in the home could be heard for miles as firefighters responded.
“It’s so sad to see all these memories gone,” Toney said.
The Foxworth Volunteer Fired Department received the initial call around 8:40 p.m. and minutes later Columbia Fire Department firefighters scrambled to leave the downtown festivities and join Morgantown, Tri-Community and Southwest Marion firefighters in assisting Foxworth at the home, which was engulfed in flames as the first firefighters responded.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Matt Brown and Deputy Tyler Creel were working Saturday night and among the first to arrive.
“We got on the scene about the same time as the first truck from Foxworth and it was fully involved,” Brown said. “We heard two or three explosions and worked to help them pull hose and block off the road.”
Toney spoke about the fire as he shuffled through the remains. There is nothing left of the home, which he says was built in 1845, but a chimney.
“This was my lifelong house here,” he said. “I have a lot of memories – there were a lot of good times here. Words can’t describe how I feel now.”
Toney had not been living in the home for several months and had received it from his grandmother, Janie Borders, when she moved into a nursing home several years ago. He was not living in the house and there was no power to it, prompting his call to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“All of our belongings were here,” he said. “I could hear the oxygen bottles blowing up from Columbia.”
Toney said the preliminary ruling from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was that it was “incendiary” in nature, meaning human hands were involved in the fire. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of individuals who may be involved. If you have information regarding the fire, you can call the Jackson office of the State Fire Marshal’s Office at (601) 359-1061.
“My grandmother worked night and day to pay this place off,” Toney said. “It’s so sad to see it like this.”
Pictured Above: Firefighters from several departments battle a blaze Dec. 22 that is now being investigated as suspicious on Old Morgantown Road in Foxworth. | Photo by Mark Rogers
