The State Fire Marshal said a man was arrested Saturday for the arson fire that swept through a Dollar Tree store in Beaver Brook Plaza Shopping Center the day before. Damage was estimated at $800,000 in the two-alarm blaze. William Bretzger/The News Journal
A man was arrested on arson charges Saturday after a fire ripped through the Dollar Tree in Beaver Brook Plaza, off U.S. 13, near New Castle, the night before.
It was the second fire at the store this year.
Timothy M. McDowell, 58, was arrested at his home on Red Lion Road in Bear, said Assistant State Fire Marshal Michael G. Chionchio. McDowell is charged with first-degree arson and three counts of first-degree reckless endangering.
On Saturday afternoon, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released a photo of McDowell offering a reward for help identifying and locating him. Hours later, authorities announced his arrest.
Friday's blaze caused an estimated $800,000 in damage and investigators determined it was intentionally started inside the store, Chionchio said.
It was reported shortly after 7 p.m. The fire was upgraded to a second-alarm almost immediately after initial companies arrived.
Smoke was coming from the roof with flames inside the building when the Wilmington Manor Fire Company arrived, Chionchio said.
"Look at the smoke!" Staci Turk told Jose Santiago, and the two peered out of their apartment window.
The two decided to come out and watch the black smoke crawl across the sky.
"At one point, the smoke was all the way over the Food Lion," Santiago said.
The store reopened only last week after a January blaze that damaged the building.
"We were just in there a few days ago and saying how glad we were it was open again," Santiago said.
The first fire was reported about 7:36 p.m. Jan. 24. McDowell's charges were not tied to that fire.
"Initial crews reported smoke showing from the front doors with a fire in one of the display racks," Good Will Fire Company reported on its Facebook page at the time.
The fire company said it assisted Wilmington Manor Fire Company on the earlier fire for about 30 minutes before clearing it.
Carolyn Kidd-Schmidt said she also had just told the children on her school bus she was relieved the store was open again. She said the damage from the first fire was not nearly as bad as the one coating the skies with smoke Friday night.
She and her husband, Bob Schmidt, a past fire chief of Good Will Fire Company No. 1, observed the smoke shift back and forth between light and dark smoke.
"When it's black, that means there is an active fire. When it's white, that means there is water already on it and it's going out," Kidd-Schmidt said. "We were watching it go back and forth."
Authorities seek to question a man they say could have information helpful to their investigation into a fire that swept through a Dollar Tree store near New Castle Friday. They say another fire there in January was also intentionally set. William Bretzger/The News Journal
Their two sons were both responding firefighters.
Schmidt and his wife said they weren't worried watching their sons work.
"They aren't inside," Schmidt said. "What they are doing now is surrounding and drowning."
Firefighters fought the fire from all angles, including the roof, to put out the fire that had displaced employees at all the stores on the strip: Dollar Tree, Beaverbrook Liquors, Cut Creators, Sunset Subs and Steaks, Asian House, Airport Cleaners, Pivot and Food Lion.
As of 10 p.m. Friday, firefighters were still attempting to douse the flames.