The Sept. 20 fire at 1107 Third Avenue N.W. ravaged the residence there with heavy fire damage to two front rooms and the front porch, while heavy smoke damage was seen in the other parts of the residence. The Moultrie Fire Department and the state fire investigator is looking into what started the fire.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Northwest Moultrie home caught fire Sunday and its occupant is now being charged with arson, according to official reports.

Randy Gibson, 59, 1107 Third Avenue N.W., was charged with first degree arson after being arrested the day of the fire.

Moultrie Police Department Officer Mark Walden arrived at Gibson’s home first and found its front porch burning.

According to Walden’s report, he was familiar with the residence and Gibson, so he circled to the backyard and attempted entry to get Gibson out. The amount of smoke and fire forced him to wait for the fire department.

The Moultrie Fire Department arrived shortly after, which is when Walden advised them that Gibson was inside. 

“FD pulled an attack line to the front of the structure and one crew advanced through the rear of the structure to start search operations,” the MFD report read.

The search crew found Gibson under a bed in the home, receiving air from a hole in the flooring where he was. He was evacuated through the rear of his home and immediately evaluated by EMS.

Emergency medical personnel judged that Gibson needed an air lift to a burn center for smoke inhalation, but when EMS arrived at the helicopter pad, he became disruptive and refused treatment.

Moultrie police were then called to take Gibson into custody.

The MFD crew back at the Third Avenue residence was able to extinguish the fire and view the destruction it caused.

“There was heavy fire damage to the porch and front two rooms of the structure and heavy smoke damage throughout the rest of the structure,” the MFD report read.

With similar previous incidents occurring at the location, the state fire investigator, Don Allen, was called to the scene. And that was not the only reason for him being there.

“The state fire investigator was contacted because of several bottles [filled with] debris in them that were scattered throughout the structure and also around the property,” the MFD report read.

According to the fire department report, a witness interviewed on-scene stated that Gibson had threatened to burn her residence down in the past.

When Allen arrived, he told Walden that he’d be pressing charges on Gibson. Allen then asked if the MPD could bring Gibson to the Colquitt County Jail, which they did.

Battalion Chief Chad Kilgore said the incident is still under an active investigation, but no other details will be forthcoming.