JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A San Marco apartment fire earlier this month appears to be the result of arson, according to the state fire marshal's office.
As the state fire marshal continues to investigate, a symbol has been spray-painted on the front door of the unit of the apartment building on Laselle Street where the fire started June 4.
The symbol, which was also spray-painted on the back of the building, appears in a YouTube video of the man who lived in the unit where the fire started. According to court documents, that man, Christopher Yorkyy, had been evicted from the building just days before fire.
Two units, including the one Yorkyy lived in, were destroyed in the blaze.
Tenants who have since been able to move back into the building are worried about their safety, saying they've seen the former tenant and his young, teenage friends sneaking back onto the property.
“They just keep popping up," tenant Tonya Smith said. "I’ve ran them off the property several times since then."
Although investigators believe the fire was an act of arson, they have not confirmed or denied whether Yorkyy is the prime suspect.
"My tenants that currently live there are terrified of this guy, and rightfully so," property owner Kim Luellen told News4Jax by phone from Atlanta.
When News4Jax interviewed Yorkyy on the day of the fire, he said, "Some kids burned my apartment down."
Since then, several tenants told News4Jax that Yorkyy and several teenagers, who had been staying with him, came back and spray-painted the apartment building.
“They spray-painted red paint all over the brick," Luellen said. "I’m not clear what the symbols are, but I understand there are some sort of devil worship or something.”
The spray-painted symbol appears to be a satanic symbol called the Leviathan Cross, or Satan's Cross. According to mythology, it’s associated with fire and brimstone in hell.
“As far as the symbol meaning burning in hell and Satan, that’s just crazy," Smith said.
Tenants said they've called police every time they've spotted Yorkyy or the teens on the property, but because the calls are not considered to be an actual emergency, officers don’t arrive in time to catch them on the property.
The fire marshal's office said investigators have been looking for Yorkyy to talk to him, but have not been able to locate him.