An employee has been charged with arson in a weekend fire at a Roanoke, Virginia pet store that caused about $2 million in damage.
Roanoke Fire Department spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury said 18-year-old Corey Brian Hite of Ivanhoe in Wythe County was arrested Tuesday.
She says firefighters were called to the PetSmart store Saturday afternoon and found thick smoke coming from the store.
No one was injured, and all the animals were evacuated safely.
Shoppers in an adjacent Target store also were evacuated.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Three Sentenced in Bear-Suit Attacks Insurance Fraud Case
State Farm Paid a ‘Hail’ of a Lot of Claims in 2025
How Niche Insurance Shielded Bad Bunny From Bad Weather
Ex-CEO, Ex-CFO of Bankrupt AI Company Charged With Fraud 

