Daycare Bus Vandalized, Burned In Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Someone slashed the tires on a bus owned by a Gwinnett County daycare, then set it on fire, investigators say.

The strange incident happened after midnight Tuesday at The Harvest School, at 2730 North Deshong Rd. near Stone Mountain. Firefighters responded to the daycare after a passerby called 911 around 12:56 a.m.

The fire was quickly put out, but caused heavy damage to the bus, said Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge. Investigators were called because of the suspicious nature of the fire.

The bus was parked away from the closest building in the corner of a parking lot and there were no exposure hazards, Rutledge said. No one was injured in the fire. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Fire officials were not releasing more details about how the fire was set due to the ongoing investigation. But Rutledge said the daycare's video surveillance camera showed an unknown person come up to the bus and slash its tires.

The person walks to a vehicle investigators believe was parked at the entrance of a nearby abandoned grocery store, then is seen at the bus again some time later, as flames erupt from the vehicle's interior. According to investigators, the owners and operators of the daycare say they don't know of anyone who would want to damage their property like that.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Gwinnett Fire investigators section at 678-518-4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1-800-282-5804.

Georgia Arson Control offers a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in arson cases. Tips also may be made anonymously.

Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services