Man claims blaze caused by smoking cocaine

April 14, 2009|By MATTHEW UMSTEAD

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A fire that seriously injured a firefighter and destroyed a large barn off Williamsport Pike last week apparently was caused by two males who were smoking crack cocaine, according to court records.

James L. Blackford III, 30, told investigators that the fire started after he and another individual ignited rubbing alcohol behind the barn to heat crack cocaine in a smoking device made from a plastic bottle, according to a complaint filed by Assistant State Fire Marshal Patrick J. Barker.

Blackford told investigators that he knocked the device from the other male's hands and it fell to the ground, catching grass on fire, according to Barker's complaint.

Blackford, of 167 Laing Drive, Martinsburg, is charged with felony counts of first-degree arson, setting fire on lands and causing injuries during an arson-related crime. He was in Eastern Regional Jail Tuesday on a $200,000 bond set by Berkeley County Magistrate Harry L. Snow.

"We're still looking for a second individual," said Berkeley County Sheriff's Department Deputy Lt. Gary Harmison, the agency's lead investigator.

Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Kenneth Ayers remains hospitalized for facial injuries he received while battling the blaze. He was listed in serious condition Tuesday at Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Blackford told investigators that he attempted to put the fire out by stomping the area but couldn't put it out, according to Barker's complaint.

The defendant told investigators that the male who was with him ran from the area as soon as the smoking device hit the ground and Blackford ran to the Bedington Volunteer Fire Department station nearby, where he served as a volunteer firefighter for about three years, according to Barker's complaint.

Blackford did not say anything about the fire upon arriving at the station, but then responded to the blaze at 1495 Williamsport Pike with other volunteers, officials have said.

Blackford also was injured, though less seriously than Ayers, when a timber from a barn wall that collapsed outward fell on the firefighters, according to Barker's complaint.

Blackford was suspended from the fire department, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, officials have said.

Anyone with information about the barn fire or several other suspicious fires in the past few weeks may call Berkeley County Crime Solvers at 304-267-4999 or the arson hot line at 800-233-3473.

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