Being a firefighter is a selfless job. You put your life at risk to protect others and the environment. But sometimes, there just aren't any fires to go and fight.
I'd imagine most firefighters would be quite happy at that prospect—after all, there'd be no need to risk their lives then, right?
But for one volunteer firefighter, that wasn't the case. According to ABC News, 29-year-old Pennsylvania native Justin Sholly has been arrested.
Court documents say he got booked for arson. The strange part is that he was a part of a volunteer fire department that aims to stop that sort of thing from happening.
He was a member of the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company in Souderton, Pennsylvania. They had noticed a pretty strange pattern of fires starting and needing to be extinguished.
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The Volunteer Fire Department Responded to Too Many Fires
Souderton is a pretty small place—it has a population of around 7,250. So the crew was shocked to see several fires pop up around several locations in the days before his arrest.
The first fire happened on Friday, May 29. A fire happened at a detached barn. It was concerning as it was 50 feet behind a home with occupants inside.
And then the second fire happened on the same day, just hours later. A trash fire had been ignited.
And then, you'll never believe it... a third fire, early on Saturday, May 30. Multiple fires had been lit this time—a barn, a shed, an outhouse, three cars, even a gazebo. All the fires were also near occupied homes, according to the fire department.
According to authorities, catching Sholly was quite simple. He had used his car to travel around before setting the fires. So it was a matter of using a license plate reader database.
The Fire Department Released a Statement Condemning the Firefighter
In a statement on
social media, the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company condemned the actions of the firefighter.They wrote in part, "The Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company of Souderton No. 1 has terminated the membership of Justin Sholly from the department in accordance with our bylaws. This action was taken following the determination that Mr. Sholly's conduct did not align with the lawful, professional and positive standards expected of our members."
