UPDATE: Matoaka police have made an arrest connected to the fire that destroyed a number of buildings in the town Friday.
Brandon Coomes, of Matoaka, was arrested on Friday evening. He’s charged with third-degree arson and entering without breaking. He was arraigned Saturday morning and is lodged in the Southern Regional Jail.
MATOAKA, W.Va. — Parts of at least five buildings in a Mercer County town were in ashes Friday night following a fire that shut down Route 10 in Matoaka for much of the day.
Officials said the blaze started around 11 a.m. on the top floor of a Barger Street apartment building that formerly was a hotel.
Firefighters from throughout Mercer Raleigh and Summers counties worked to contain the flames into Friday night.
Several people were arrested there for obstruction and drug-related charges.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
No injuries were reported.