By Nathan Willison
LNP
EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — East Hempfield Township police have charged three volunteer firefighters with the Hempfield Volunteer Fire Department with starting five fires between Oct. 26 and Nov. 28, 2024.
Joshua Lightcap, 23, of Columbia; Mason Howard, 21, of Akron; and a 16-year-old from East Petersburg are facing multiple arson and related charges after a 3-month-long investigation by police. Charges against the three were filed on Feb. 13.
John Kottmyer, the chief fire official in East Hempfield Township, said that all three have been suspended from the fire department and that the department is cooperating with the investigation.
Police reported that Lightcap, Howard and the juvenile were charged in connection to the following fires:
- A field fire in the 6100 block of Metzler Road in East Hempfield Township around 3:20 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2024.
- A railroad shed in the 100 block of East Main Street in Landisville around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 2.
- A field fire in the 6100 block of Metzler Road around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 8.
- A brush fire in the 1300 block of Junction Road In East Hempfield Township around 12:50 a.m. on Nov. 9 . Police reported this fire caused over $15,000 in damages to corn fodder bales.
- A shed fire in the 200 block of Leisure Road in Landisville around 2:40 p.m. on Nov. 28.
Kottmyer said the charges came as a shock to the other members of the department, many of whom were not aware of the investigation.
“These incidents are not reflective of the department as a whole,” Kottmyer said Tuesday.
The fire official said the goal of the department moving forward was to work to reinstill public confidence in their services.
Kottmyer was unable to say how long the three individuals had been with the department.
Lightcap and Howard were arraigned Tuesday and have been released on $80,000 and $50,000 bail, respectively.
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