BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A man is behind bars on arson charges in connection with a fire that destroyed five vacant houses March 1 in Williamson.
Eugene Kitchen, 53, of Williamson, was arrested and charged with arson and providing false information to a police officer.
Kitchen, originally from Williamson, reportedly had been living most recently in Inez, Kentucky, but had been in Williamson looking for a house to rent.
According to Williamson Police Chief J.C. Dotson, police apprehended Kitchen along U.S. 119 near the water tower above West Williamson. Kitchen was heading north toward Chattaroy.
The fire started around 2:15 p.m. at a vacant house along Mulberry Street. It quickly spread, destroying five vacant homes, including one on Vinson Street, and starting a forest fire.
The intersection of Mulberry and Vinson was blocked for a time as firefighters worked tirelessly to prevent flames from reaching nearby occupied homes.
“No one was hurt,” Williamson Fire Department Chief Joey Carey said. “Thankfully, all the firemen are OK. No civilians were hurt. That’s the most important thing right now.”
Carey said the abandoned houses in Williamson had been a concern. Neighbors in the vicinity said squatters and homeless people had been known to stay in the houses. The chief told news media that he hopes more vacant structures will be torn down to prevent events like the fire from happening again.
Chattaroy Volunteer Fire Department provided mutual aid to the WFD.
Carey said the fire spread across several acres, prompting the West Virginia Division of Forestry to respond to contain a brush fire on the hillside.
Firefighters remained at the scene overnight to prevent the fire from rekindling and spreading.
Kitchen is lodged in the Southwest Regional Jail in Holden.