Apartment fire arson case turned over to feds.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief. 

SCOTTVILLE — The investigation of a series alleged arsons at Reinberg Rooms Apartments, 103 N. Reinberg Ave., has been turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Scottville Police Chief Don Riley said the suspect in the case is also being investigated in several suspected arsons that took place in Oceana County. The ATF got involved because the apartment complex is a commercial entity, Riley said.

Scottville and Custer fire departments were called to the apartments on three occasions in January. On January 3, a fire took place in an upstairs apartment ceiling. Initially, Scottville Fire Chief Dale Larr had ruled the fire accidental, caused by electrical wires.

Initially, firefighters were called to a report of a fire in the hallway about 11 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. That fire was apparently found by a resident of the home and quickly extinguished, who then called 911. Scottville Fire Department was on scene for about an hour for the initial fire.

Then, about 1:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, the fire departments were called back for another fire in the wall of the hallway. Chief Larr said he was suspicious was that neither fire seemed to be related. “It was just too far of a distance between the two sources for the fires to be related,” Larr said.

A Michigan State Police fire marshall ruled the fires arson.