Arthur Pettway said he set fire to scare away homeless people living on the property.
Nashville Fire Department Fire Investigators charged Arthur Quitman Pettway, 61, with Felony Aggravated Arson for setting fire to the former Piggly Wiggly located at 921 Dickerson Road on Sunday, January 17, 2021.
Around 9:45 a.m. Metro Department of Emergency Communications dispatchers sent personnel to the former Piggly Wiggly for a reported structure fire. Firefighters arrived within 2 minutes.
Firefighters forced their way into the building. Personnel reported seeing flames inside the building that had spread from an outside building in the rear of the property.
The former Piggly Wiggly was vacant, however at least five people were living in an addition to the back of the building. People living in the addition told Fire Investigators that Pettway came to the building and told them “he was going to burn the structure down and they had one hour to leave.”
About an hour later Pettway returned to the building, poured a liquid inside the building and set the building on fire.
Investigators interviewed Pettway and he admitted to setting the fire. Pettway claimed the homeless people living in the vacant building had been stealing items from him. Pettway said, “he had enough of the problems and was going to fix it.”
There were no injuries reported to the public or personnel as a result of the fire.
Pettway is charged with Aggravated Arson a Class “A” Felony. He remains in the Davidson County Jail in lieu of $250,000.00 bond.
Arson is one of the costliest human-made disasters. Arson indirectly contributes to increased insurance premiums, higher medical costs, lost jobs, lost income, and the increased costs of fire services.
The NFD needs your help to combat this serious crime. If you have information about an arson call the Nashville Fire Department Arson Hotline at 615-862-5640.
You can also call the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017. The hotline is answered 24 hours a day.
You can remain anonymous when providing information.
Cash awards up to $5,000 are paid for information leading to an arrest or conviction.
