Conway police chief says ‘person of interest’ ID’d in wake of Whittemore Elementary blaze

A ‘person of interest’ has emerged as authorities continue to investigate the cause of a March 7 blaze that ripped through Conway’s historic Whittemore Elementary School, police chief Dale Long said.

“We have developed a person of interested that we have started to interview,” Long told the City Council during a March 13 emergency meeting where officials are considering whether to tear down the segregation-era school.

The S.C Law Enforcement Division spent a full day on site and remain involved in the situation, an agency spokeswoman told The Sun News last week.

The city took ownership of the Whittemore site in 2017, when Horry County Schools relinquished it. The 70-year-old building at 1904 Maple Street needed $30 million worth of renovations even before the fire, and city leaders have long said using public dollars to preserve it was not feasible.

Though deemed unsafe by city officials, Long said evidence of human habitation including food wrappers, fecal matter and drug paraphernalia is strewn throughout the building.