ARSON SUSPECTED IN FAYETTE COUNTY
By Jessica Shifflett/Register-Herald Reporter A Fayette County fire that destroyed an empty house and damaged two homes early Wednesday in Rock Lick was possibly set by an arsonist, Oak Hill firefighters said. Assistant fire chief Robert Begley said firefighters were made aware of the fire at 3 a.m. Begley reported Oak Hill firefighters, along with the Fayetteville Fire Department, doused the flames and stayed at the site until 6 a.m. Around 10:45 a.m., however, smoldering debris rekindled and firefighters were dispatched to snuff out a tiny ignition. The house, which was owned and recently remodeled by Minden-based ACE Whitewater, was a total loss, he added. Neighbors said flames melted the siding of one home and destroyed the garage of another. Joe Kelly, who lives across the street from the combusted structure, said he is still clearing smoke from his home. "I couldn't breathe in the house because I've got my oxygen machine in the house and it was coming through my machine," he said. The state fire marshal's office sent investigators to the fire site Wednesday, Begley added. He added the fire is the latest in a string of suspected arsons in the Rock Lick and Minden area. "It's an ongoing problem," Begley said. "There's been numerous (suspicious fires) in the Minden and Rock Lick area." Begley said over the last three years about 10 abandoned houses have burned in Minden and Rock Lick under suspicious circumstances. Other dwellings have also caught fire, he stated, generating an ongoing investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. "We need the residents' assistance," Begley said. "There is a $2,500 reward through the West Virginia state fire marshal's office." Anyone with information may contact the Oak Hill Fire Department at 465-5867 or the sheriff's office at 574-1200.
