MORGANTON, N.C. (WJZY) — Officials in Morganton said a man pretending to be a firefighter refused to stop trying to put out a deadly fire, so they had to arrest him.
When firefighters controlled the flames at the duplex on Morehead Street in Morganton, they found the body of the woman who lives at the home inside early Wednesday morning.
Officials said they believe Yvonne Jamison, who lived at the home, was the woman found dead. An autopsy will confirm her identity.
The director of public safety said they do not believe the fire is suspicious.
Investigators have found where the fire started, but have not discovered how the blaze started.
“Everything that happened last night was unfortunate, it was tragic,” said the wife of the man who was arrested, who didn’t want to share her name.
Flames were shooting from the home as firefighters began their attack.
“My heart goes out to the family,” said the woman.
A fire broke out at a home in the 200 block of Morehead Street in Morganton.
The neighbor says her husband was afraid for his neighbor’s safety, and he was trying to help his own family.
“The fire was very close to our home, so he got the water hose. We were just trying to protect our home, it’s that simple,” said the woman.
When firefighters arrived, they say the woman’s husband, Christopher Miglino, was out with a garden hose wearing New York City Fire Department turnout gear trying to put out the fire.
They say for safety reasons they had to pull him out of the way, but they didn’t stop there.
“I’m just overwhelmed, I’m like why are you arresting somebody that was trying to help?”
Miglino was charged with resisting, delaying, and obstructing a public officer and impersonating a firefighter.
“Based on what the report said from the officers, he failed to disperse, he failed to move out of the way, clearly just the danger associated with fire ground operations, we cannot allow him to be anywhere near that,” said Jason Whisnant, Morganton’s Director of Public Safety.
Miglino’s wife says the turnout gear is a family member’s gear, but she claims her husband worked for the department.
However, FDNY tells Queen City News they have no record of anyone with the last name Miglino ever working for them.
Officials said Miglino was not given bond because he was out of jail on pending charges including assault with a deadly weapon and injury to personal property from November 2023.
Miglino’s record from the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections shows he was convicted in 2007 in Mitchell County of burning a building under construction, and he also has a felony breaking and entering conviction.
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