Forsyth Man Charged With Arson In Subdivision Fires

CUMMING, GA — A Forsyth County man has been arrested on charges he intentionally set three fires in local subdivisions.

Piyushkumar Dayalaji Mistry is charged with three counts of first-degree arson in connection with the fires, which happened in the Springmonte and Saddlebrook subdivisions in south Forsyth.

On July 5, a fire broke out at the Springmonte subdivision clubhouse and, three days later, there was another fire, at the Springmonte tennis court. Then, on Tuesday, there was a fire in a parked vehicle in the nearby Saddlebrook subdivision.

Investigators with the Forsyth County Fire Department fire marshal's office determined all three fires to be arson.

Tuesday evening, a Forsyth County Sheriff's Office deputy stopped a vehicle in the area for an expired tag. During the traffic stop, the deputy noticed items in the vehicle that raised suspicion and notified fire department investigators.

A search warrant was issued for that person's home, where items linked to the three fires were found, the fire department said. Mistry was being held at Forsyth County Jail on unrelated charges when the fire marshal's office charged him Wednesday on the arson cases.

The investigation remains ongoing, the Forsyth fire department said in a news release.

Photo courtesy Forsyth County Fire Department