PHOENIX — An employee is accused of setting fire to 600 hay bales outside of a north Phoenix Pet Club store.
Phoenix police report that on July 13 just before midnight, firefighters from Phoenix and Scottsdale responded to a fire at the Pet Club near 48th Street and the Carefree Highway.
According to police, there were 600 bales of hay stacked against the building in the loading dock area. The heat from the fire reportedly caused the roll-up door to collapse, allowing the burned hay to fall into the building. Court records say there was "extensive smoke damage to products and merchandise inside the business."
The damage estimate is said to be $500,000.
Surveillance video reportedly shows Jamison Lee Hargrave, 44, starting the fire.
Upon his arrest Thursday morning, Hargrave allegedly admitted to throwing a lit newspaper onto the haystack from his truck. He reportedly told police that, "he burned the hay for retaliation due to the way he was treated by management."
He was arrested for arson, and his next court date is August 1.
