FAIRVIEW, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Fires along Charlotte Highway in Fairview that were initially believed to be intentionally set were caused by a faulty catalytic converter on a passing vehicle, fire officials said Wednesday.

The Fairview Volunteer Fire Department responded Tuesday to multiple small fires along the roadway. Early reports, based on witness statements, suggested a man walking near the fires may have started them.

However, a North Carolina Forest Service Law Enforcement Ranger who investigated the scene on Wednesday determined the fires were sparked by the internal components of a vehicle’s catalytic converter.

Debris from a faulty catalytic converter sparked fires along Charlotte Highway in Fairview, officials said, dashing earlier fears of arson. (Photo credit: Fairview Volunteer Fire Department)
Debris from a faulty catalytic converter sparked fires along Charlotte Highway in Fairview, officials said, dashing earlier fears of arson. (Photo credit: Fairview Volunteer Fire Department)
Debris from a faulty catalytic converter sparked fires along Charlotte Highway in Fairview, officials said, dashing earlier fears of arson. (Photo credit: Fairview Volunteer Fire Department)

Investigators found large pieces of the catalytic converter in and near the spots where the fires burned, as well as scattered pieces along other areas of Charlotte Highway that caused only minor burns. A separate fire that ignited later on the Reynolds side of the mountain appeared to have been caused by the same vehicle, officials said.

Fire department officials said the person seen in the area likely was inspecting the fires rather than setting them. “Thankfully, it appears we do not have an arsonist roaming the roads,” the department said in a social media post.

Authorities thanked the public for reporting what they observed, noting that the information would have been critical if the fires had been deliberately set.