Man dies after lighting truck on fire and driving into law office

By Outer Banks Voice on October 17, 2014

Currituck County authorities said a man died after he lit bales of hay on fire in the back of his pick-up truck and drove through the doors of a Moyock law office Friday evening.

Multiple witnesses said the man had been near the Twiford Law Firm building on Currituck Commercial Drive for at least an hour before the incident occurred just before 5:30 p.m.

A witness, who asked not to be identified, told The Outer Banks Voice the man was driving a gold pick-up truck with Virginia license plates and had parked outside both the Twiford Law building and across the street at the offices of William E. Wood and Associates.

WTKR-TV reported a man walking by saw the truck drive into the side of the building facing away from N.C. 168 on the southern end of the Moyock village.

The last person inside the building had left about 20 minutes before the incident, according to WAVY-TV.

Another witness, Robert Farthing, said he saw light colored smoke coming from the roof as he drove by, then the smoke turned black and fire erupted from the building at ground level.

Investigators with the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office have initially ruled the incident as an arson and suicide, pending the outcome of a probe by the State Bureau of Investigation.

The body of the man had not been recovered as of Friday night. No other injuries were reported.

Twiford Law Firm owns the building that opened in 2004, and leased space to the Currituck Chamber of Commerce and several other businesses.