Mobile home destroyed by fire during Burke County Sheriff's Office raid

One person was arrested and a house was destroyed this week during a Burke County drug investigation.

Arrie V. Williams, 41, of Waynesboro, is charged with possession of a gun by a convicted felon, according to a news release from the Burke County Sheriff's Office.

Just after 1 p.m. Thursday, the Burke County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division, Narcotics Unit and Special Response Team executed a search warrant at a mobile home on the 600 block of East 7th Street Lot D as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to the release.

When deputies arrived, they saw the suspect going into the home, according to the release. Deputies announced their presence and the suspect barricaded the door, refusing entry.

Members of the Special Response Team initiated entry, using a distraction device, according to the release. Deputies then noticed the home was engulfed in flames.

Investigators later learned the fire started in the living room after Williams thought the distraction device was tear gas and wrapped it in a towel in an effort to stop the smoke, according to the release. The towel caught fire and spread to other items in the living room.

Deputies removed Williams and a woman from the home during the fire and they were both taken into custody, according to the release. The woman was later released.

The Waynesboro Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, according to the release. The mobile home has been deemed a total loss.

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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Mobile home destroyed in Burke County Sheriff's Office raid