THOMASVILLE, N.C. — NEW: Thomasville police charged Theresa Varner with arson in this case. Varner is a High Point 911 operator and her husband is a High Point police officer. Investigators said there's no evidence that indicates Varner's husband had anything to do with the crime. Here's the latest on the case.
High Point police said one of their patrol officers and his wife, who is a High Point 911 Master Telecommunicator, lost everything in a house fire on Wednesday.
The couple, Officer Jason Cano and Theresa Varner, and their 9-year-old son lived at a home on Grace Drive in Thomasville. Officials said the family was not inside the home when it caught fire, but two of their pets - a dog and a cat - were inside and died as a result.
Thomasville Fire Department said firefighters were called to the house around 6:30 a.m. and found it "fully involved," with heavy smoke and flames. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to put it out.
Neighbors said they are heartbroken for the family.
Shaun Delaney said, "I can’t imagine coming home or getting a call at work, and saying your house is a blaze, and it’s a total loss. I would be devastated, and your animals have passed away.”
The house is a complete loss. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.
"Today is a difficult day for one of our patrol officers and his wife, who is a High Point 911 Master Telecommunicator. This morning, their house caught fire and they lost everything inside. The family is safe, and we are giving them all of the support we can," High Point Police Department said.
High Point Police Department is having a gift card collection for the family to help them in their time of need.
Rachel Juren, Assistant Chief of Community Division explained, "At this point some of the immediate needs have been met. However, we anticipate the situation will be an ongoing hardship for them, and as a result of community interest and desire to help, we are holding a gift card drive at this time.”
Police said Cano is also a former SRO and was getting ready to retire.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or search for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.
