In connection with a fire that caused more than $30,000 in damage, a Taco Bell employee in Tennessee was arrested on suspicion of arson. More workers will be detained soon.
Alleged Arson Inside the Taco Bell
In a recently published article in MSN News, after the Nashville Fire Department responded to a fire at a Taco Bell at 5510 Nolensville Pike on July 5, Courtney Mayes, 25, the shift manager at the time, was charged with aggravated arson.
Employees closed the doors to prevent customers from entering, according to a video from inside the eatery. The Taco Bell employees then raced around the restaurant with fireworks with them.
Additionally, the workers walked inside the men's restroom at one point to get away from the surveillance cameras for a while. They were then seen on camera putting something in a trash bin in the restaurant foyer before walking outside and photographing it with their phones, according to a published report in Newsweek.
Investigators with the Nashville Fire Department arrested a Taco Bell employee after she and other employees were seen on video playing with pyrotechnics, which set the facility on fire. Management called NFD Fire Investigators on Thursday, July 8, to investigate the fire.
Read Also : 10 Babies Killed After Hospital Fire in India
More Arrests To Follow
The restaurant was severely damaged by the fire, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in losses. The investigation is still continuing, according to officials, and additional arrests are anticipated in the coming days. Mayes is being detained on a $5,000 bail at the Davidson County jail.
Nashville Fire Department said in a statement, "Employees then realized they locked themselves out of the restaurant. The employees tried unsuccessfully to get back into the store. When the employees saw the trash can start to smoke, they called 911 for help," according to a published article in Block Voice.
Investigators subsequently discovered damage inside the men's restroom after pyrotechnics were reportedly set off inside a different trash can after the fire was doused. Moreover, the Nashville Fire Department was contacted for further comment, but the news outlet did not receive any response yet.
Fire Incident in the U.S. Increases
In recent years, dangerous fireworks accidents have become more common in the United States. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of the United States published a study in June that showed a 50 percent increase in fatalities and injuries from fireworks-related events in 2020 compared to 2019.
According to the study, at least 18 individuals died as a result of fireworks-related events in 2018, compared to 12 in 2019. Based on the reports of the CPSC, approximately 15,600 individuals were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries in 2020, compared to around 10,000 in 2019.
More individuals attempted to put on their own displays after official ones were canceled throughout the nation due to the COVID-19, which resulted in an upsurge in injuries and fatalities in 2020.
Consumers should watch professional fireworks displays from a safe distance and be especially cautious while using consumer-type pyrotechnics, said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.
Related Article : Five Killed as Fire Erupts at COVID-19 Vaccine Maker's Complex in India
