16-year-old charged in school fire

Fayetteville, N.C. — Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested a 16-year-old Tuesday and charged him in connection with setting fire to a school two weeks ago.

William Thomas Ellis, of Cawdor Drive, was charged with burning a schoolhouse. He was being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $2,000 bond.

A July 1 fire at Douglas Byrd Middle School destroyed the school gymnasium and spread to the cafeteria, where it caused the roof to cave. No one was injured in the fire.

Investigators said Tuesday that fireworks started the fire.

Last week, authorities released videos from security cameras at neighboring Douglas Byrd High School that showed three people near the middle school around the time the fire started.

Authorities said the videos helped them identify several suspects, including Ellis, who is a student at Douglas Byrd High.

Other arrests are expected in the case, authorities said.

School officials said they hope to have most repairs to Douglas Byrd Middle complete when classes begin Aug. 25. Repairs to the gym, however, likely will not be complete, and students will have to share the high school gym.

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alwaysconcernedmom: I agree with your post 100%!! :)

ncmidteacher
July 17, 2009 2:58 p.m.

Accidents happen. Kind of like, if I have an accident in my car, I pay for it, not the tax payers. So, He should pay for the repairs since he was on school property, playing with illegal fireworks...if that is true at all. And he is old enough to know better! When are we going to make our young people accountable for their actions????? You do the crime, you do the time!

alwaysconcernedmom
July 15, 2009 1:08 p.m.

I agree.. Make him pay for it ..not the tax payers.. And you right damofo.. he will just get a slap on the hand..

trulyblessed
July 15, 2009 12:43 p.m.

IF it was an accident, they should have come forward instead of making investigators look for them. When they try to conceal their actions it makes them look guilty of burning the school on purpose.

thepeopleschamp
July 15, 2009 11:40 a.m.

i believe that if they "threw" the fireworks on the building, they probably would have RAN from the scene...there is no video of that...and if i am not mistaken, i thought that fireworks that shoot up in the air are illegal...so, they were probably shooting them off in the open parking lot, and one fizzeled out (or in this case, DIDNT fizzle out) on the roof, thus causing the fire...