Arson Suspected In Burning Of Campground Entrance Booth

During the early morning hours of Thursday, October 23rd, the entrance fee booth for the Cape Point campground caught fire and burned to the ground. The campground was closed for the winter season and no injuries resulted. The permanent structure was declared a total loss. Included in the loss was a ticket sale vending machine worth upwards of $20,000. At around 3:50 am, an early morning fisherman traveling on a nearby park road saw a glow in the night. As he drove closer, he saw that a structure was on fire and placed a 911 call to county dispatch. By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the building was fully engulfed in fire. An investigation has been begun by NPS law enforcement rangers and the Dare County Fire Marshall’s Office. Burn patterns strongly suggest that the fire was deliberately set, but this has not yet been confirmed.