A member of the West Virginia National Air Guard was fatally wounded while responding to an arson on Sunday morning, officials said.
The aviator, who was assigned to the 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg, was responding to a mutual aid call for a fire in a structure on Charles Town Road when he was fatally injured.
Investigators believe that this fire – and another one about three miles away – was intentionally caused 20 minutes from each other. Both fires were made between 1 and 2 am and neither structure was occupied.
The service member’s name is being withheld for 24 hours pending notification of close relatives, the guard said in a press release.
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The West Virginia State Fire Department’s Office and the state police are investigating the fire, WV News reported. No further details were released.
Anyone with information on the matter should contact the state arson hotline at 1-800-233-3473. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $ 5,000 for information that leads to imprisonment and sentencing.
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The fire marshal’s office could not be reached for further comment.