ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A man was arrested after an early Thursday morning fire destroyed an Orange Park business, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies searched throughout the day for 24-year-old Noah Coffin (pictured below) after flames engulfed the R Champ Fencing shop on Blanding Boulevard near Arora Boulevard around 6:15 a.m. According to the Sheriff's Office, he was believed to be carrying a large knife and has displayed erratic and unstable behavior.
The Sheriff's Office announced about 6 p.m. Thursday that Coffin was found and investigators were speaking with him.
Just a couple hours later, Coffin was arrested on a charge of arson to an occupied structure, deputies said.
R Champ Fencing is the same fencing business that I-TEAM reporter Jennifer Waugh visited earlier in the year. She remembers stacks of wood in the back parking lot. While crews have not said what caused the fire, the blaze was intense enough to tear through the building.
Clay County firefighters said the fire was quickly contained but heavy smoke remained. Firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were also called in to assist.
In a video sent in by a viewer, the fire could be seen shooting through the business, which is located in a strip mall.
"It was a pretty big fire. I was worried. My store is directly behind it," said Steven Adams, who owns a business nearby. "I was worried about my equipment and wind shifted and a little rain started, so I was pretty thankful at that point."
Adams said he was at work early Thursday morning when he heard rattling. When he walked outside, he said he saw smoke and a man standing in the parking lot staring at the building. Adams said there was an explosion moments later and when the flames picked up, he and a few other witnesses saw that man walk away from the area.
Jim Stephens is part owner of Kamy’s Kars next door. Some of his cars and his building are just feet from the business that burned down.
On his way in to work Thursday morning, Stephens received a call that his business was on fire. He was relieved when he arrived and saw his business was untouched, but felt awful for the owner of the fencing business.
“I’ve been in this business over 30 years,” Stephens said. “Now I own my own dealership. I’m just thinking of my building up in flames and all my cars burned to the ground.”
He described the moment he learned his livelihood was OK.
“I just almost was in tears with happiness,” Stephens said. “I don’t know if I felt that feeling before because I was just driving feeling devastated.”
Other nearby business owners were also feeling grateful they weren’t impacted by the fire. But Randy Champ said he's owned R Champ Fencing for 10 years and was distraught to lose it all Thursday morning.
The state fire marshal was at the scene, investigating until 2 p.m.Thursday, about eight hours after the fire. A dog was seen searching the fire debris with an employee from the state fire marshal’s office. News4Jax was told the dog did, in fact, smell something and a sample was taken and will be sent to a lab for testing.
Deputies with the Sheriff's Office, as well as Florida Highway Patrol troopers had northbound lanes of Blanding Boulevard at Arora Boulevard blocked while crews investigated the fire.
No injuries were reported and the state fire marshal continues to investigate the cause of the fire.