ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 29, 1997 TAG: 9703310061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JON CAWLEY THE ROANOKE TIMES
A Roanoke man was arrested Wednesday and charged with burning a Northwest house to the ground in February. Police said he may be linked to other arsons in the area.
Steven Anthony Marrs, 30, was arrested at his home in the 300 block of Gilmer Avenue. He is accused of setting a fire that destroyed a vacant house at 2116 Melrose Ave. about 4 a.m. Feb. 12, Roanoke police said.
When firefighters arrived at the house, owned by Ronald Buckner, it was already engulfed in flames; it burned to the ground within minutes. Unable to save the house, firefighters attacked flames threatening the next-door home of Katie B. Davis, police said. Davis' home was saved but was damaged. Police were unable to give a damage estimate.
The night of the fire, Buckner told police he was renovating the vacant house and did not know why it caught fire. Police said Marrs knew of Buckner but the two were not close acquaintances.
Arson investigator R.S. Kahl has evidence linking Marrs to an undisclosed number of area fires, and other arson charges are pending, police said.
Marrs was being held in the Roanoke City Jail Friday night on a $10,000 bond, a sheriff's deputy said.
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