A Forsyth County man was arrested and charged with first-degree arson and insurance fraud after his basement caught on fire almost a year ago, authorities said.
In December 2019, firefighters responded to an alarm in the 8700 block of Innisbrook Run, where Jin Kyong Chang, 43, lived with his wife and daughter, Forsyth County fire Division Chief Jason Shivers told AJC.com.
According to Shivers, there was an active fire in the home’s basement, which was extinguished quickly. He added that no one was home at the time and there were no injuries.
However, the house had $1 million in damages due to smoke and water used to fight the blaze, Shivers said.
The Fire Marshal’s Office launched an investigation, which is standard procedure when an officer cannot determine the cause of a fire, Shivers said. The 10-month probe found that there had been multiple fires at various times in Chang’s basement, he said.
He was arrested Oct. 5 and booked into the Forsyth County Jail, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Stacie Miller said. She confirmed that Chang is out on a $33,260 bond.
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