One week after a fire was allegedly started inside a Walmart in a nearby city, police have charged a 14-year-old with arson.
Last Wednesday, just after 7 pm, Peachtree City Fire Department Chief Wilbur Harbin said that a fire started inside the store on Highway 54.
Police confirmed that a 14-year-old girl was taken into custody and held on a first-degree arson charge.
Her identity has not been made public.
A body camera video showed Peachtree City officers’ tense moments searching the burning Walmart for trapped customers.
“Anybody in here? Everybody out!” the officers can be heard shouting.
According to reports, an anonymous Walmart employee started screaming for people to evacuate the store when she noticed the fire.
“Just telling them, ‘Come on! Let’s go. We gotta go!'” she said.
There were no injuries to customers, but three officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and have since been released.
Firefighters from Peachtree City, Coweta County, Fayetteville, and Fayette County worked hours to extinguish the fires before it was eventually put out early Thursday morning.
Both the interior and roof of the store suffered significant damage.
