
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990                   TAG: 9005010304
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                LENGTH: Short

OFFICIALS SUSPECT ARSON AT CHARLOTTESVILLE MALL

A four-alarm fire that severely damaged a downtown mall may have been set, a fire official and a store owner say.

The fire burned out of control for about four hours Sunday night, gutting the upper floors of one building and damaging neighboring buildings.

A Charlottesville volunteer firefighter, George Dillard, was taken to the University of Virginia Hospital suffering chest pain, said Capt. Grover W. Smiley of the Charlottesville Fire Department.

Smiley said losses "could be in the hundreds of thousands" of dollars.

Mike Kidd, owner of a clothing store, said he thought he heard someone running on the third floor when he went to check a leaking roof about 10 a.m. Sunday.

- Associated Press

by CNB