Rockingham County Deputies Seek Public Help After Dollar General Arson

Rockingham County Sheriff's Office investigators are asking the public to identify a person caught on camera after a fire was deliberately set behind the Dollar General at 14500 US 158 in Summerfield, North Carolina.

Deputies responded to the store on March 4 after a report of a fire and found a wooden gate surrounding the HVAC system at the rear of the building had been set ablaze. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. No injuries or dollar-value damage figures have been released, and no arrests have been made.

The sheriff's office has images of a person believed to be connected to the incident and is asking anyone who recognizes the individual to come forward. Tips can be submitted several ways: call the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office directly at 336-634-3232, dial 911 for emergencies, or reach Crimestoppers at 336-349-9683. Anonymous tips are also accepted through the Crimestoppers app, by texting ROCOTIPS to 738477, or by submitting information online at P3Tips.com.

For workers at this store and others like it in rural Rockingham County, the incident underscores a vulnerability that Dollar General locations have faced repeatedly: rear access points, often unmonitored, where HVAC enclosures, dumpsters, and storage areas sit well outside the view of a single associate working the floor. Whether the store was open and staffed at the time of the fire has not been confirmed by the sheriff's office.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact investigators rather than wait, as the sheriff's office has made clear it is still working to identify a suspect.