A Nicholas County, West Virginia man faces charges of setting 62 fires in the Summersville and Richwood areas.
Twenty-one-year-old Austin Lee Cox of Craigsville is being held at the Central Regional Jail on $2.7 million bond. He’s charged with 54 felonies, which each carry a $50,000 bond. The charges include first-degree arson and conspiracy.
Sheriff Wetzel Bennett told the Charleston Gazette that other suspects are being sought.
The fires occurred from January to July. Bennett says one fire destroyed a home in Mount Nebo. Another fire gutted a sports bar in Summersville.
There were no injuries in any of the fires.
Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Former Progressive CEO Renwick, 69, Dies 
Brett Favre’s Defamation Suit Against State Auditor Can Move Forward, Court Says 
FEMA Chief Says Agency Will Raise State Burden for Disasters to 50% 
Capital One to Pay $425 Million to Settle Claims Over Savings Accounts 
