PHOTOS/VIDEO: Arrest made after 2 hurt in fire at central Arkansas apartment complex

2 people were hurt in a fire at a Conway apartment complex early Monday morning.
2 people were hurt in a fire at a Conway apartment complex early Monday morning.

A resident of a Conway apartment complex that was seriously damaged in a fire early Monday has been arrested on charges of arson and first-degree battery, authorities said.

David Hartsell, 50, was arrested in connection with the early morning fire at 955 South German Lane that injured two people.

The Conway Police Department said in a news release that investigators found "suspicious items" in Hartsell's apartment while they were investigating the cause of the fire.

The blaze was reported shortly after 4 a.m., Conway Fire Chief Mike Winter said.

Two of the building's 17 occupants were transported by ambulance, Winter said. One appeared to suffer burns, a neighbor said, and another hurt his back when he climbed out a window and fell.

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Conway Police Department

David Hartsell

Firefighters had the blaze under control within about 30 minutes, the fire chief said.

Only one apartment building at the complex was damaged in the fire, though a second one nearby was also evacuated.

Marsha Gooch, a resident of the building that was evacuated, said someone knocked on her door shortly after 4 a.m. and told her to "get out of the house" because of the fire in the next building over.

Winter said he believed several of the residents affected by the fire were college students. Germantown Apartments are within a five-minute drive of the University of Central Arkansas.

Winter said that of the 12 units in the building hit by the fire, six had fire damage and the others had heat damage.

"My opinion: The building's going to have to come down," he said.

[Video by Matt Gooch]

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