West Virginia Man Accused of Setting 62 Fires

A Nicholas County, W.Va., 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 tells 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.