CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. — Four volunteer firefighters were charged with arson after starting two unrelated fires.
Centre Daily reported that the first fire was allegedly started by Columbia (Pa.) Fire Company volunteer Justin Varner, 23. Police said he started the fire on Sept. 30 at an unoccupied building. He later confessed to setting it because it had been a while since there was a fire call and thought the building was an “eyesore,” according to the report.
The second fire was caused by Hope Fire (Pa.) Company volunteers Hunter Harris, 21, Kenneth Lee Moore, 20, and Samuel Conner, 19. Police said all three also confessed to starting the on Oct. 9. The building was also unoccupied. They started the fire so they could respond and extinguish the fire, according to the report.
Harris, Moore and Conner were arraigned on arson charges and released on $50,000 unsecured bail. Varner was arraigned with bail set at $25,000 secured.
All four were later removed from their fire companies.
“It is the hopes of the fire company that the public continues to offer their overwhelming support as they have in the past,” the Columbia Fire Company statement said. “This one incident may cast doubt and mistrust in the minds of some, but Columbia is determined to push forward (and) continue to offer the best fire and rescue services to the citizens they protect.”