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Volunteer firefighter accused of setting fire to corncrib

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August 22nd, 2019 by admin

NEMAHA, Iowa (AP) — A volunteer firefighter and another man have been accused of setting fire to a corncrib in western Iowa’s Sac County so the firefighter could respond with his department and help put it out.

Sac County court records say 25-year-old Brent Mack and 18-year-old Alexander Lilly have been charged with arson. A 17-year-old girl has been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. The records don’t list the names of any attorneys for them. All three live in Newell.

The Nemaha and other departments responded early Monday morning to battle the blaze a little more than a mile (1.7 kilometers) north of Nemaha. Suspicions grew after another firefighter found Mack had arrived first at the station even though Mack lived at least 15 minutes away in Newell.

The court records say Mack later told investigators that he, Lilly and the girl had driven around the area, looking for a place to set a fire, and settled on the corncrib. It was a total loss.