Man Burning Wife's Clothes Started Townhouse Fire: Officials

NORCROSS, GA — A Gwinnett County man has been charged with arson after investigators say he started a fire that destroyed a townhouse complex while burning clothes that belonged to his estranged wife.

Darrius Matthews, 34, of Norcross, has been charged with one count of first-degree arson in a fire late Tuesday that left at least 24 people without homes. The fire, at Robinwood Townhomes on Beaver Ruin Road, happened around 11:30 p.m. and destroyed much of the 10-unit building.

Matthews told investigators that he had been burning his wife's clothes in the fireplace when the fire got out of control, according to Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge. He said he and his wife had been having problems and she had left him a few days earlier, Rutledge said.

The fire spread and caused heavy damage to more than half of the two-story building's units.

"Many of the neighbors were home getting ready for the busy Thanksgiving holiday and could have easily been injured or killed," Rutledge said.

Residents were already leaving the building when fire crews arrived and were completely evacuated with the help of Gwinnett County Police. No one was injured in the fire.

Matthews is being held without bond at Gwinnett County Detention Center. He was detained by police at the scene of the fire Tuesday for an outstanding warrant unrelated to the fire. Rutledge say he also may face additional charges related to the blaze.

The American Red Cross was contacted to help people who lived in eight units in the building find somewhere to stay. Two of the units were vacant at the time of the fire.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services