Man accused of setting several fires in Charlotte WSOC TV [Video]

CHARLOTTE — Omar Rosales is accused of a string of arson that targeted occupied homes, gas stations, and a Duke Energy tower at locations from SouthPark to Albemarle Road.

A resident at one of the apartment complexes said he noticed something unusual late Tuesday afternoon.

“Earlier I smelt like gasoline,” said Jermaine Williams, a resident at a SouthPark apartment complex. “I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was the heat.”

Williams said he saw something outside.

“I saw a flashlight by my window, wasn’t too sure, so I just thought it was maintenance,” he said.

He might have witnessed an arson in progress, according to the police.

“It’s crazy. It’s crazy that it even got this close to me,” he said. “It can happen to anybody, you know? You just got to be safe out here.”

Rosales set fires at about six places across Charlotte between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to police documents.

He …