Ga. volunteer firefighter charged with arson

At the time of the fire, Travis Boyd, also a paramedic, was fired for reasons unrelated to the fire

September 14, 2015 08:52 AM

The Moultrie Observer

MOULTRIE, Ga. — An Autreyville volunteer firefighter was charged Thursday with starting a fire that destroyed a mobile home last week.

Travis Alton Boyd, 45, of Moultrie, faces charges of arson and burglary in connection with the fire Friday at 124 Trailer Park Road, according to Colquitt County sheriff’s investigator Chris Robinson. Boyd is charged with burglary because investigators believe he entered the mobile home while the residents were away with the intent to set the fire.

The residents, Max and Carolyn Lindsey, were, in fact, at Boyd’s residence when the fire started, Robinson said. Boyd had been there earlier but left, the investigator said.

He said Boyd got a neighbor to call 911 after the fire started, and when the call went out for Autreyville firefighters, he responded that he was on the scene.

Robinson said an insurance official called the home and contents “a complete loss.” What wasn’t destroyed by the flames was damaged by smoke and the water used to put the fire out.

An official of the state Fire Marshal’s Office reviewed the scene extensively on Wednesday, Robinson said, and determined the fire had been set. He could not identify the accelerant that was used, but Robinson said several items have been sent to the lab for analysis.

Robinson said investigators are still working to discover a motive for the fire.

In addition to the felonies related to the fire, Boyd was charged on a Camden County warrant that accuses him of failing to appear for a court hearing on a traffic charge.

At the time of the fire, Boyd was a paramedic with the Colquitt Regional Emergency Medical Service, Robinson said, but he was terminated a few days later for reasons that weren’t related with the fire.

In an ironic twist, The Observer ran a letter to the editor Tuesday praising volunteer firefighters — and Autreyville’s in particular — for their courage and selflessness in fighting fires in the community. The letter was written by Boyd’s wife, Dawn.