College student set fire near SC campus, cops say — 5 more blazes under investigation
A college student accused of starting a fire near his school is also a suspect in other blazes, South Carolina officials say.
Brandon Michael Burt, who attends the University of South Carolina Upstate, is facing an arson charge after he set trash on fire on Saturday, according to the college and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The blaze erupted inside a dumpster at Campus Evolution, an apartment complex less than 1 mile from USC Upstate, deputies said in an incident report.
Though he was charged in connection with the off-campus fire, Burt is the sole person suspected of starting about 20 blazes at his university, school and county officials told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
Near USC Upstate, an investigation also continues into five other fires, Spartanburg County deputies said in a news release.
Burt, 19, was arrested Monday and charged with third-degree arson, officials say. He was out of jail Tuesday on a personal recognizance bond, meaning he must agree to come back to court, state and county records show.
Officials say Burt is from Suwanee, Georgia, a city roughly 30 miles northeast of Atlanta.
USC Upstate is in Spartanburg and has an enrollment of more than 6,000, according to the university.
“The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff are — and always will be — the university’s first priorities,” USC Upstate said in a statement to McClatchy News. “It is believed that no current threat exists from these prior incidents.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 1:03 PM with the headline "College student set fire near SC campus, cops say — 5 more blazes under investigation."
