FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS THE LEVISA FORK AND SOUTHERN W.VA. AREA OF PRICHARD TO KERMIT have had to endure countless forest fires burning ever-so-close the cities in Ft. Gay and Inez.
Smoke from the fires settled in city limits and the brush fires came too close to homes and businesses on Tuesday and Wednesday when the fires were heading towards the towns bringing folks out with water hoses, eye witnesses said.
George English from Martin County set on his own property on fire and it spiraled out of control, witnesses said.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said he arrested George English, 53, of Warfield, at around 3:20 p.m. Nov. 6 on Groundhog Hollow in Warfield. The sheriff reported that English set a fire during a countywide burn ban and failed to take precautions.
When Kirk arrived at the scene, English was unsteady and slurring his speech. He allegedly admitted to taking suboxone.
During the arrest the sheriff found a baggie containing 10 naloxone tablets in English’s pocket. However the suspect could not produce a prescription.
English faces multiple charges, including setting a fire on his own land without taking precautions, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance, and prescription controlled substance not in a proper container.
The video above is near Ft. Gay yesterday, Nov, 13, 2024 by Leslie Rawlings. The message about the fires below shows what LC Emergency Services director Travis Hughes’ FB site this morning.