Akkamak Arson Story

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Tanya Bundick and Charlie Smith are both currently incarcerated. The fire wasn't stoking their sexual passion, it was more of an emotional bomb. Jeff Bell is still the fire chief for the Tassley Volunteer Fire Department.

On November 12th, 2012, the Accomack County volunteer fire departments got a call. An abandoned house had suddenly gone up in flames. And then, just hours later, a second fire was reported. Then a third. Over the next few months, there would be a lot more fires—nearly 90 in all. It was all anyone could talk about in Accomack. Someone was burning down the entire county.

Monica Hesse's book is American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land.

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