| The West Virginia Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a series of fires set by an arsonist early Thursday morning in the Spencer area.
Reports indicate attempts were made to ignite three dwellings, two on Ripley Road (US 33) just west of Spencer, with a third dwelling reportedly a few miles away on Lion Fork, a short distance off US 33.
A company truck driven by David Perkins of Ripley Road was also ignited, with reports indicating damage.
The Spencer-Roane VFD responded to the calls at 4:30 a.m.
Reports indicate none of the dwellings fully ignited, with one resident saying the arsonist appeared to have poured kerosene on the back of their vinyl-sided house, the flames spread up the wall, blackening it before it went out.
In another attempt, the arsonist appeared to have used straw and potato chips as the accelerant.
Authorities are investigating what appeared to be random attempts on the dwellings, one belonging to Betty Lane and the second to a nearby neighbor, Alice Mace.
The attempt on at least one of the dwellings was not discovered until daylight.
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