A teenager is in custody after a series of three structure fires erupted within a week in the small town of Stony Creek in rural Sussex County, according to investigators.
The latest fire broke out Sunday afternoon, when an unoccupied home went up in flames and the blaze spread to the vacant house next door, the Stony Creek Fire Department said. It marked the third fire in just seven days in the town of about 175 residents. The first two fires occurred in neighboring buildings, while the third ignited within sight of the earlier scenes.
Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles said deputies believe the same teenager is responsible for all three incidents.
The repeated fires have left residents anxious, Town Council Member John Kollmann said.
“When this fire started today, we knew they were being set. It wasn’t an accident. Third fire in seven days—it’s not an accident, absolutely,” Kollmann said. “We tell the people of the town we hope and pray to God we got him, and the fires have stopped.”
Virginia State Police sent an arson investigator from Hampton Roads to examine the site and assist with evidence collection.
Stony Creek sits about 45 miles south of Richmond, roughly a 50-minute drive along Interstate 95 and Route 602.
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