A young child was arrested and charged after intentionally setting their family home on fire while the parents slept in their room.
The shocking incident took place in Jackson County, West Virginia, where a 7-year-old set fire to their parents’ house as they slept on Wednesday morning.
According to Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Robert Bailey, there were no fatalities even though two people suffered minor burns in the fire.
While the blaze in the Elizabeth community was eventually put out, the family home was completely overcome with fire by the time the first responders arrived at the scene.
In a statement shared by the Jackson County WV Sheriff’s Department, the authorities confirmed that the child in question was arrested and charged with first-degree arson.
The child currently remains in custody and the investigation into the fire is ongoing.
“This evening a 7 year old juvenile is in custody and charged with 1st degree arson after the family home was intentionally set ablaze with the parents asleep inside. Minor burn injuries occurred to two individuals, but everyone made it out of the home alive,” the sheriff’s department wrote.
“No further information will be released regarding the investigation because of the sensitive nature of the case. Special thanks goes out this evening to the responding volunteer fire departments and the WV State Fire Marshal’s Office.”
In a shocking update, however, the authorities revealed that the child’s stepfather, 38-year-old Aaron Hufford, has since been arrested on suspicion of child ab*se of the 7-year-old who caused the fire.
As of this writing, it is not clear if the charges against the child will be dropped following new evidence.
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