Myrtle Beach man charged with setting apartment fire had been there earlier, police say
A Myrtle Beach man has been arrested for arson in connection to a fire that damaged eight apartment units in the Forestbrook community early Friday morning.
The man had apparently been at the apartment hours before it caught fire, police reports show.
Robert Samuel Britt, 21, was charged with second-degree arson and malicious injury to personal property on Friday by Horry County Police Department. He was still incarcerated Monday at the J. Rueben Long Detention Center, according to online detention records.
Eight residences were damaged by the fire that started about 3:05 a.m. Friday at 801 Burcale Road, according to Horry County Fire Rescue.
One upstairs residence received heavy fire damage, the department wrote on Facebook.
No injuries were reported.
Britt apparently had been involved in an earlier incident regarding an assault at the same residence about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to an Horry County Police report. Because of lack of evidence, neither Britt, nor the other person, was charged. One person was taken to jail on an outstanding warrant.
At 3:08 a.m. Friday, police responded to the apartment fire on Burcale Road, which the officer recognized as the same apartment officers had responded to earlier Thursday, the report stated. The officer became suspicious that Britt, who was involved in the earlier incident, might have something to do with the fire, according to the report.
Britt told officers that another person was responsible for the fire. However, that person had already been taken into police custody for an outstanding warrant at the time of the fire.
Police were then notified that Horry County fire investigators had probable cause that the fire was the result of arson and that Britt had committed it, according to the report.
A scene sniff was conducted in the apartment by an accelerant K-9, which alerted officials of accelerants in the stairwell and by the couch on the first floor of the apartment, according to an arrest warrant. The K-9 also alerted police to accelerants on the Britt’s shoes.
A search of Britt revealed that he had a butane lighter and a torch lighter.
Britt was also charged with damage to a police cruiser after he kicked out a window in the vehicle that was transporting him to the jail.
The fire displaced five families and caused significant damage to one unit at the Courtyard at Yardarm POA, according to Joe Egan with Jennings & Co. in Myrtle Beach. Egan wrote by email Friday that five other units received smoke or water damage in varying degrees, and two other units may have smoke damage.
Repair work will take a few months, he said.
Tony Casey, spokesperson with the Horry County Fire Rescue, could not confirm Monday that the fire was ruled arson. He wrote by text that it is under investigation by both the fire and police departments.
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 12:46 PM.
