South Carolina University Student Suspected of Setting 20 Campus Fires

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A student accused of setting an off-campus fire is the only suspect in about 20 fires set on the campus of the University of South Carolina Upstate, police said.

Brandon Michael Burt, 19, of Suwanee, Georgia, was booked Monday in the Spartanburg County jail on a charge of third-degree arson, news outlets reported.

Warrants stated Burt is accused of setting a dumpster fire at an apartment complex, WSPA-TV reported.

Burt is also suspected of setting about 20 fires since February on the USC Upstate campus, said Dave Myers, the university’s assistant chief of police. Myers said Burt was named as a person of interest after being spotted near some of the fires, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported.

Burt is the only suspect in the campus fires, sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo said.

Burt is a sophomore and student-athlete at the university, the newspaper reported. It’s unclear whether he had an attorney who could speak for him.