Highway Patrol Trooper's House Set On Fire

An extensive investigation is underway in Greenville County after the home of an Upstate trooper in the South Carolina Highway Patrol was set on fire. 

Laura Campbell of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said that at 8:08 a.m., dispatch received a call of a residential burglary in progress at a home near the intersection of Blacks Road and Riley Smith Road in Greenville. The wife of Trooper Homer Rose III, who was home alone while Rose was on duty, told dispatchers she heard something in the garage, and when she peaked out, she saw three masked men. 

Five to 10 minutes later, Rose's wife told authorities on the phone that her back porch was on fire. 

When Wade Hampton Fire Department arrived, they encountered two active fires - one at the back porch area, and another toward the front of the home. The three masked suspects had fled the scene by that time, Campbell said. 

There were no injuries, and nothing was stolen from the home. Campbell added that it is not known at this time whether or not Rose's home was targeted because of his position as a trooper. 

"We have an arson investigation and a burglary investigation underway right now, and forensics has already been on scene," Campbell said. "We have a multifaceted investigation going on at this point." 

Rose works in Spartanburg County as part of the SCHP's Troop 3, which serves the Upstate.