MADISON, N.C. -- A man credited with saving residents of an apartment building from a fire Tuesday morning was in jail later that night, accused of setting the blaze.
Jacob Rumley, 21, was in the Rockingham County jail Tuesday night charged with first-degree arson, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. His bond was set at $25,000.
Earlier that day, Rumley was being hailed as a hero and sharing his story with local media outlets.
When Crissy Urbina opened her apartment door to let a maintenance worker inside, a cloud of smoke was in the hall.
A resident of the Lassiter Square Apartments on West Decatur Street in Madison, Urbina is still in shock that she and the other 14 residents of the complex are displaced after a three-alarm fire Tuesday morning.
"It's surreal," the 26-year-old said. "This is people's lives and homes."
She credited Rumley, the maintenance employee who knocked on her door, with saving her life and the lives of her pets.
"He made sure I had my two ferrets and my dog," Urbina said.
Rumley had said earlier that he went to the building to do a work order when the tenant smelled smoke. Rumley, who said he is a former volunteer firefighter, said he knocked on the door of every apartment on the second floor, telling people to get out.
When those residents were outside, Rumley said he did a head count.
"I then turned around and went back," he said.
Rumley went through the first floor, making certain that every person and every pet was out of the apartments, he said. If there was no answer at the door, he went inside.
"I have a master key," Rumley said. "If I knocked on the door and no one comes, I'm going to open the door. I may get in trouble, but it's better than the alternative."
He said one woman was asleep, and another man had just gotten out of the shower. He apologized for startling them but told them the apartment complex was on fire.
The fire began in a first-floor apartment and spread into the attic. Though someone lived in the unit, no one was home at the time, said Bob Scott, Madison's town manager.
The fire began about 10:15 a.m. More than a dozen firetrucks were called to the building, which once was a school.
No residents were hurt, but one firefighter was treated for undisclosed injuries.
Of the eight units, seven were occupied. Scott said fire damaged two of the eight units. Water and smoke damaged the other six.
Residents will not be able to live in the apartments for some time, Scott said.
Staff Writer John Newsom contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 - News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
