Arson Suspected In Overnight South Rome Blaze

The actions of a  quick responding Rome Police Officer made the investigation of a house fire in South Rome a lot easier after he spotted the blaze and a possible suspect walking away early Sunday morning.

According to Rome Police Officer Jason Brownlow, he was en route to a dispatched call in South Rome just before 1:00 AM Sunday when he spotted a house that was fully involved in flames, and an unidentified male walking away from the scene, located on West Forrest Street in between Harper Avenue and Pennington Avenue. Brownlow called for fire units to respond while detaining the possible suspect.

Rome Fire Engines 1 and 2 along with Quint 3, Ladder 1, and Car 25 responded and arrived to find that the single story, concrete block structure was heavily involved and already majorly gutted by the flames. Despite the maturity of the blaze, firefighters had gained control and doused the flames within 10 minutes.

According to Rome Fire Battalion Chief Troy Brock, a representative from the Rome Fire Marshal’s Office was en route to the scene to investigate the blaze. Georgia Power was also called to the scene after the fire downed a live power line across W. Forrest St.

The suspect was detained in a nearby police car and reportedly became agitated when officers questioned him.