Update: 3:40 p.m.
Police suspect a meth lab ignited an early Thursday morning fire at a Kingsport home, where the resident is believed to have fled before authorities arrived.
A car registered to that man was found wrecked approximately 9 miles away, with a deputy spotting a male run from the car into the woods. Brent A. Wines, 36, is now sought for questioning in both incidents.
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze at 581 Kincaid Road at approximately 5:15 a.m.. SCSO Public Information Officer Leslie Earhart says numerous items found around the residence and in a burn pile are used in the meth making process.
Police report witnesses to the fire spotted a man enter a vehicle and speed away from the home. Shortly thereafter dispatch advised officers of a crash on Ridge Road in Sullivan Gardens, approximately nine miles from the fire.
Earhart says the crashed car was a Chevrolet Capris registered to Wines. An officer responding to the crash spotted man running from the car and into the woods, but he could not be located.
Wines is sought for questioning in the fire and wreck, each of which are still under investigation. Police say he also has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear.
The Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force responded to the fire to process evidence and conduct needed cleanup. No one was injured in the blaze, which gutted the home.
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A meth lab is suspected of igniting an early Thursday morning fire at a Kingsport home, while the resident is believed to have fled the scene before emergency responders arrived.
Shortly after the fire call at 5 a.m. police also responded to a single-vehicle crash, locating the suspect's abandoned car. As of 11:15 a.m. he had not been located.
Both the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze at 581 Kincaid Road. SCSO Public Information Officer Leslie Earhart says materials found at the scene suggest is was caused by a meth lab inside the residence.
At approximately 10:45 a.m. the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force arrived to process that evidence and conduct needed cleanup.
Police say that shortly after being dispatched to Kincaid Road a wreck was reported on Ridge Road in Sullivan Gardens, approximately nine miles from the house fire. Earhart says a vehicle registered to the resident crashed, but no driver was located.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident with charges pending. No one was injured in the fire, which gutted the residence.