Man charged after allegedly starting porch fire during argument in Buckhannon

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man has been charged after allegedly starting a fire at a residence in Buckhannon and then blaming it on someone else.

On Sept. 17, troopers with the Upshur County detachment of the West Virginia State Police responded to a residence on Farnsworth Avenue in Buckhannon to assist the Buckhannon Fire Department with a house fire, according to a criminal complaint.

While en route, troopers learned that two individuals were at the residence “currently arguing over who started the fire,” and when troopers arrived, they found “evidence of a fire on the front porch which had already been extinguished,” troopers said.

In the yard of the residence, troopers found multiple items “which appeared to have been melted by fire,” and “scorching on the floor level of the porch, as well as approximately 2-2.5 feet up a piece of drywall,” according to the complaint.

Troopers then spoke with a woman at the residence who said that Randel McVay, 39, had been in a verbal altercation with another individual at the home, and that the woman and that individual “left the residence and began walking toward Weston” because McVay “threaten[ed] to cause physical harm to her,” troopers said.

When the they had made it about a third of a mile away from the residence, McVay “ran up to her yelling she had set the house on fire” and then dialed 911 to report the fire, according to the complaint.

The woman returned to the residence to find the porch on fire and told troopers that “there was no fire when she left the residence”; troopers then spoke with McVay who said that, “She let the porch burn,” troopers said.

McVay claimed that he saw someone else light the fire, and when troopers asked McVay if he immediately contacted 911 to report the fire, “he replied, ‘No. She lit it and I was like what the f*** you doing. God dang’,” according to the complaint.

When troopers asked how the timeline added up if he watched the woman set the fire and caught up to her down the road, he “became agitated and threw items from his hands on the ground” and then faced troopers “in a bladed stance,” troopers said.

Troopers then attempted to detain McVay, at which point he “began backing away while trying to pull his arm away,” but troopers were able to place him in handcuffs, according to the complaint.

While in custody, after being read his Miranda statement, McVay gave multiple different accounts of how the fire started and his role in doing so, troopers said.

McVay has been charged with first-degree arson. He is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.