Officials Investigating 11 Fires in West Virginia City

Fire officials say they’re investigating after responding to nearly a dozen structure fires in five weeks.

According to Huntington Fire Marshal Captain Matt Winters tells WCHS-TV that there have been 11 fires so far in 2019, with nine of those fires occurring in vacant buildings where the electricity had been disconnected. Those fires are all under investigation.

Winters added it’s not uncommon to have accidental fires this time of year due to people trying to stay warm.

An abandoned house was supposed to be demolished later this month, but the structure burned Friday. A nearby vacant building also caught on fire that same day.

Winters say the proximity of the two incidents has caused investigators to think the structures may have been intentionally set on fire.