North Carolina Teen Charged with Arson in March Blaze

Police have charged a teenager -- already in jail on unrelated offenses -- with intentionally setting a house fire that six Charlotte firefighters were injured trying to douse.

Jesse Lee Karrick, 19, is accused of setting the March 15 blaze at a home on Hewitt Drive in northeast Charlotte, Chief Fire Investigator David Lowery said. Damage from the blaze was estimated at $100,000.

The teen, already in jail on a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle, was charged Monday. He faces six counts of assault on a government official and one count each of arson, burning personal property, breaking and entering, and larceny charges.

All the firefighters who were hurt have returned to work, Lowery said.

They were injured after they cut a hole in the burning home's roof to cool the interior. The one-story house had undergone renovations and bore two roofs, so the heat was trapped inside even after the hole was cut.

Karrick did not live in the house, Lowery said. He would not talk about whether the teen knew the owner or why they think he set the fire. He also would not talk about what was taken.

He said the investigation is on-going.

Mecklenburg court records show Karrick has a lengthy criminal record with convictions for possession of stolen goods, trespassing, and breaking and entering.

Distributed by the Associated Press