Three Arrested in Hendersonville Storage Units Fire

Hendersonville -- March 8, 2024: Hendersonville Police Department Press Release; On March 1st, 2024, around the midnight hours Blue Ridge Fire Department along with several other emergency

personnel responded to SmartStop Storage buildings at 1931 Spartanburg Highway in reference to a fully involved commercial building fire.

Overhaul operations were conducted by (17) different fire departments that led to the extinguishment of the active fire. Once the scene was made safe the Henderson County Fire Marshals Office and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Arson Task Force determined the fire to be arson. After a thorough investigation, three individuals have been located and charged with arson of the storage buildings.

The damage was determined to involve approximately 104 units. The total cost of damage to the building and building contents has not been determined and is still under investigation. We would like to thank all the surrounding fire agencies that assisted with the investigation and aided in the safety of the community. This was truly a team effort and no injuries were sustained from the fire.

As a result of the investigation, Arson Task Force investigators with the Henderson County Sheriff have charged and arrested three individuals listed below:

Boyzel White- 43 years of age, charged with 3 counts of Felony Burning of a Commercial Structure and Felony Conspiracy. Bond $40,000.00 Secured

Brandon Tornabene- 34 years of age, charged with 3 counts of Felony Burning of a Commercial Structure and 1 count of Felony Conspiracy. Bond is $100,00.00 secured.

Andrew Kovaleski- has been arrested in another jurisdiction and is awaiting extradition.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigators are working with the administration of SmartStop Storage building to identify and contact victims of the affected units.

Editor's Note:* A criminal charge is an accusation, by law, a person accused of a crime is innocent until proven in a court of law.