December 27 – The Stompin’ Grounds, an iconic landmark in Maggie Valley, caught fire Friday afternoon in what authorities suspect was arson.
There is a man in custody who has been identified as a ‘person of interest’. The suspect – who sparked the fire and then fled the scene in broad daylight – was captured by the city’s fire marshal before the fire was even extinguished.
The motel that burned to the ground last weekend is owned by the same family as The Stompin’ Ground.
“The fire is believed to have been caused by arson,” according to a joint statement from Maggie Valley police and firefighters.
It came as a shock to Burton Edwards, who grew up clogged at the Stompin’ Grounds, to see his beloved dance hall burn just days after losing the Heart of the Valley Motel to a fire.
Edwards said the Haywood fire chief, Maggie Valley fire chief and an insurance adjuster were on scene at the motel Friday afternoon conducting follow-up investigations when the fire broke out at the Stompin’ Ground. Since the motel is next to the Stompin’ Ground, they responded quickly.
“They looked at the smoke and ran outside,” Edwards said.
Maggie Valley Fire Chief Scott Sutton, who is also Maggie’s former police chief, sprang into action. Eyewitnesses described the vehicle in which the man drove away, and Sutton’s old law enforcement training kicked in
“He ran him over, had him arrested and then ran back to the fire. Praise God. Even the fire chief was fighting the fire. If they hadn’t put it out in three or four minutes, it would have burned to the ground. Edwards said. “It’s insane.”
Moments earlier, two eyewitnesses saw a man in a pickup truck parked on the sidewalk in front of the building throw objects into the burning entrance.
Flames that had not been there before suddenly burned brightly, leaping from the entrance and lapping against the tall wooden shed-like facade. The man was seen reaching into the back of his pickup truck, grabbing what appeared to be pieces of wood and throwing them into the roaring flames.
“I was cooking lunch and my wife said, ‘It looks like the Stompn’ Ground is on fire.’ I looked up and it looked like a guy was throwing stuff into the fire,” said Ty Edwards, who lives across the street.
Meanwhile, Pat McKee was driving past the Stompin’ Ground when he reported seeing a man actively feeding the fire. He had the wherewithal to pull out his phone and start videotaping. As McKee drove by, the man returned to the back of his truck, grabbed more wood sticks and walked back to the fire to throw it back in.
“The Stompin’ Ground is on fire, mama,” McKee said in the video. “I just watched that guy do it. That guy did it right there. He burns it down. Let me turn around. That guy over there. That guy over there.’
Edwards said he accepted ownership of the Stompin’ Ground from his father just days before the fire. Although he complained about not having insurance on the building at the time of the fire, Edwards said with confidence that he plans to rebuild both the historic ballroom and the historic hotel.
Edwards added that, thanks to the quick action of the Maggie Valley Fire Department, damage from Friday’s fire was almost entirely concentrated on the front portion of the building, around the barn doors, but the dance floor and trophy case were spared stayed.
‘I think there will be more to come. We love Maggie Valley. We’ve worked so hard on this motel, and we’re going to rebuild it. We’re going to fix it again. You can be sure. God is going to do that. help us,” he said.
He had nothing but praise for the Maggie firefighters who battled the motel fire for nearly 24 hours last weekend but were unable to extinguish it.
“It’s not their fault. They got there in two minutes, they used the foam and used everything they had. They took it out and it went down two units and came back. Then they took it out and it would still move down a few units and come back,” Edwards said. “I’m still asking myself questions. How is this possible?”
According to a news release from the Maggie Valley Fire Department, MVFD Engine 17 arrived on scene around 2:20 p.m. and found a working fire in the front of The Stompin’ Ground.
“A person of interest has been identified and authorities believe this is an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the community,” the joint statement said. “The Maggie Valley Police Department is currently leading the investigation and working with the Haywood County Fire Marshal and state authorities.”
The person of interest was not identified in the statement. However, a 44-year-old Maggie Valley man named John Mark Evans was booked into the Haywood County Detention Center sometime Friday afternoon. No charges immediately appeared with the booking, but Evans matched the description of a man seen in the eyewitness video fanning the flames of the fire.
Reporters Andrew Marshall and Aarik Long contributed to this story.