Newbern house ignites — for third time
NEWBERN, Tenn. — For the third time in less than three months, a Dyer County home ignites into flames. The home is now beyond repair, and investigators believe two of the fires were intentionally set.
“Why did this happen to us again? Who hates us this much to do this?” homeowner Maggie Craig said.
Craig looks at what is left of her Newbern home after investigators said an arsonist targets it for a second time.
“I don’t know what to think. All I can do is cry because my whole life is gone in it,” Craig said.
Clothes, furniture and countless family heirlooms, all gone.
“There’s stuff that was in there that I can never replace. Yeah, you can go out and buy new, but it’s not the same thing,” Craig said.
Thursday’s fire was one of three that has ravaged the Craigs’ home. Back in October, an accidental electrical fire destroyed their garage and killed their family pets. Then the next day, deputies said fire broke out again, but this time it was suspicious.
“When you find several points of origin, you know someone set that on fire, and we don’t know why. We don’t know if it’s vandalism,” Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box said.
After the first two fires, Craig said they were ready to rebuild, but only days after starting construction they were targeted again.
“There’s someone that doesn’t want us to rebuild on this land. They don’t want us here for some reason, and we don’t know who and we don’t know why,” Craig said.
Now left with nothing and no leads, Craig said she is afraid of what might happen next.
“I don’t know where it would be safe now because if they are willing to do this, what will they do to us?” Craig said.
The Dyer County Sheriff’s Department said it has interviewed the Craigs multiple times and do not believe they have anything to do with the fires.
The family says they hope to rebuild.
Call the Dyer County Sheriff’s Department at 731-285-2802 or the state’s Bomb & Arson hotline at 615-741-3030 if you have information that could help find the person responsible. A reward is being offered.
