Firefighters are supposed to extinguish fires, not deliberately set buildings on fire. Yet, three local firefighters are facing arson charges after they were allegedly caught on video setting fire to a building in Madison.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the Magistrate Court of Boone County, 19-year old Dustin Vance, of Foster, 19-year old Gerald Waters III, of Madison, and 19-year-old Larry Nunnery III, of Danville, were arrested Friday and charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy.

All three men were members of the Madison Volunteer Fire Department.

Patrick J. Barker, of the Fire Investigation Division, West Virginia State Fire Marshall’s Office, states in the complaint that the fire occurred during the early morning hours of May 6, at #10 Avenue C, and was captured on video surveillance.

According to the complaint, the men confessed to the crime, stating that they were “bored,” and decided to experiment with some brake fluid and chlorine outside the firehouse and then later that night decided to ignite the building on fire.

According to the complaint, two of the men set the house on fire while the third man waited behind as a lookout. Once the house was ablaze, the men allegedly returned to the firehouse and “waited for a while.”

Then, one of the men allegedly called 911 and reported the fire, and proceeded to go over to the building and get the occupants out of their homes, according to the complaint.

Vance, Waters and Nunnery posted a $2,000 cash bail and are free on a $20,000 bond.

Larry Lyons, the owner of the two-story building, was unavailable for comment at the time of this printing.

Madison Fire Chief Jim Lambert had the following prepared statement, “The Madison Fire Department is obviously shocked and outraged at the actions and conduct of our three former firefighters. The betrayal of the public trust and the endangering of the lives of the occupants of the building and their fellow firefighters and emergency responders is unfathomable, but our pain pales in comparison to the terror that was visited upon the families, business owner and more especially, the children that reside at #10 Avenue C.

“We are grateful that no one was injured or worse during the fire. The protection of lives and property is paramount to the Madison Fire Department and we will be working hard to reconcile with our neighbors and community the trust that was lost because of this horrible act,” Lambert stated.

“We do realize that there are misconceptions and uninformed unsubstantiated comments being circulated through the community. With the full disclosure of the facts surrounding the fire and the immediate arrests of our three former members, the department stands absolved. The malicious actions of the three former firefighters should not reflect on the men and women firefighters who continue to serve the public and our community without compensation.

“The Madison Fire Department appreciates the comments of support from our community and firefighters from across the county and state. We will continue to focus on the healing process with our neighbors and community maintaining the department’s continuity of operations while continuing to serve and be an active and vital part of our community. We must learn from this situation and apply what we learn to making sure this never happens again,” he stated.

According to Lambert, the Madison Fire Department continues to cooperate and work with the investigating agencies to bring full disclosure to the public concerning the events that transpired during the early morning hours of May 6.

According to Lambert, the fire was set at approximately 2:15 a.m. The Danville Fire Department, Madison Police Department and Boone County Ambulance responded to the fire. The State Fire Marshall’s Office Arson Hotline was called at 4 a.m. that same day after it was determined that the fire was deliberately set.

If indicted and found guilty of the charge of arson, the men could face 2 to 20 years in prison. On the charge of conspiracy, if indicted and found guilty, the men could face 1 to 5 years or a fine not more than $10,000, or both.

Contact Joanie Newman at jnewman@coalvalleynews.com or call 304-369-1165.