Police arrest two in Lexington County Wal-Mart fire

Harbison, SC (Paul Kirby) – Two men have been booked into the Lexington County Detention Center by Columbia police officers after being arrested on charges related to the fire at the Wal-Mart Super Center on Harbison Boulevard this week. Steven D. Edwards and Bobby J. Murphy, Jr. have been charged with second-degree arson. The two are in Lexington County’s jail because the store is in Lexington County and inside the City of Columbia.

Investigators believe the two started the fire around 3:00 a.m. in a grocery aisle. So far, police haven’t released the reason the two did this. Columbia and Irmo firefighters fought the fire, and a special fan from the Batesburg-Leesville Fire Department responded to remove smoke from the building. The firefighters put the fire out quickly, but not before it had caused approximately $3 million dollars in damages to the store. This figure does not reflect the loss of profits that the store suffered when it had to be closed several days while the cleanup and repairs were made. Luckily, no one was injured as a result of the fire.

Originally, police had released a picture of a woman they thought was also involved in the crime. Police investigators did locate and talk with the woman, but after speaking with her, investigators don’t think she was involved in starting this fire. She has not been charged at this time.