SC Police: Man Assaulted FFs During Mobile Home Blaze

A 47-year-old man is accused of setting fire to a mobile home then assaulting two firefighters as they battled the blaze.

Horry County police charged Christopher Jackson, of Myrtle Beach, with second-degree arson, two counts of third-degree assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

He is being held in J. Reuben Long Detention Center on nearly $10,000 bond.

On Sunday, emergency crews went to Edgewood Drive for a fire. Firefighters asked for police help because a man was being unruly and possibly had a gun, according to a police report.

When police arrived, they found medical staff holding Jackson on the ground, the report states.

A Horry County Fire Rescue captain told police that Jackson was shouting profanities and interrupting the firefighters, the report states. He refused to leave the area and tried to go into the home multiple times.

Two firefighters said Jackson assaulted them, according to the report. One firefighter said Jackson shouted and pushed her as she tried to escort him from the residence.

Another said Jackson pushed him as the firefighter tried to block the doorway. As Jackson started backing up, he fell off the porch area, the report states.

EMS took Jackson to the hospital for smoke exposure and he said firefighters broke his ribs, according to the report.

A witness said Jackson had been depressed, according to the report. The fire grew out of control and started to consume the residence.

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