West Virginia Volunteer Charged with Arson

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From Firehouse.com MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va.-- An 18-year-old man who volunteered to help keep his community safe from fire has been arrested for arson.

Blaine Alan Vanscyoc Jr. was lodged in the Northern Regional Jail on Monday, charged with four counts of third-degree arson and three counts of willingly and feloniously setting fires, a jail spokeswoman said. He was arraigned late Monday, and bond was set at $25,000.

Moundsville police Chief James Kudlak said the investigation that led to Vanscyoc's arrest started after a series of Dumpster fires began in the city more than a month ago. Kudlak said an "extraordinary number" of these fires began to occur, prompting detectives and Noel Clarke, chief of the city's paid fire department, to launch an investigation.

According to Kudlak, an officer with the Moundsville Volunteer Fire Department had some suspicions, noticing the same volunteer crews always arrived to put out the fires.

"That's a red flag for an arsonist," Kudlak said.

In the wake of 12 Dumpster fires, Kudlak said detectives obtained run sheets from the VFD and started to track the fires, compiling a list of suspects.

While investigators were in the process of "running down" the suspects, Kudlak said, one male confessed to being involved with setting the fires.

Kudlak noted detectives also used video surveillance tapes from different businesses and found the suspects' vehicles had been filmed in the area of some of the fires. The suspects were confronted with this information.

On Monday, Kudlak said an arrest warrant for one adult ��� Vanscyoc ��� and a petition for one juvenile suspect had been obtained by police.

Vanscyoc was arrested, and Kudlak expects the involved juvenile to be summoned to court.

Kudlak noted the fires did not cause any injury or property damage, but they were escalating.

"They were becoming more frequent and larger," he said. "They were getting closer to structures."

Jim Burton, president of the Moundsville VFD, said it was a joint investigation that led to Vanscyoc's arrest. Noting that additional information would be released today, Burton declined to comment further.

But Kudlak noted Monday's arrest was just the first in what he anticipates will be a series of arrests.

"I expect more arrests," he said. "This is just the beginning. It looks like there are more people involved."

[ex-commish 490]

I am a firm believer of double the time of a non-firefighter.