Fire marshal seeks help in investigation of 2 fires

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Investigators ask for help from the public as they try to determine the cause of separate fires on the same day at adjacent businesses in southern West Virginia.

A medical building under renovation and a gun shop were destroyed in the Feb. 10 fires in Williamson, the state fire marshal’s office said in a news release Thursday.

While firefighters battled a fire at the Williamson Health and Wellness Center, crews discovered the gun shop had been broken into and items had been removed. The second fire at the gun shop occurred about four hours later with flames shooting through the roof, the statement said.

The state fire marshal’s office is working with Williamson police in the investigation. While the statement said it’s not known how the fires started, it said a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.