SOUDERTON, Pennsylvania – A volunteer firefighter faces multiple charges after investigators determined he deliberately set three fires within a 30-hour window in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, subsequently responding to combat two of the blazes alongside his fire company.
Justin Sholly, 29, of Souderton, Pennsylvania, was apprehended and charged with arson, reckless burning or exploding, criminal trespass, and recklessly endangering another person, among other related offenses.
The consecutive blazes began on May 29 at 12:25 a.m., when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company was called to the intersection of Forman and Schoolhouse roads in Franconia Township to extinguish a pile of burning wood logs situated near the roadway.
Later that same morning at 4:17 a.m., emergency personnel responded to a fire involving a detached garage and barn near Lumber Street and Wile Avenue in Souderton. The structure was located approximately 50 feet away from two residences on West Chestnut Street, which contained a total of 10 occupants at the time.
The final fire occurred on May 30 at 4:31 a.m. in the area of Harleysville Pike and Schoolhouse Road in Franconia Township. Firefighters arrived to find a barn, three vehicles, a shed, an outhouse, and a gazebo engulfed in flames. These fires were set in close proximity to a home on Harleysville Pike that was occupied by eight individuals.
An investigation conducted with the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal concluded that all three incidents were connected and intentionally set.
Detectives utilized automated license plate reader databases to trace a black 2015 Ford Edge that was present near all three arson locations between the night of May 28 and the morning of May 30. Investigators identified Sholly, a volunteer with the Perseverance Fire Company, as the owner of the vehicle. Surveillance footage also captured Sholly driving the vehicle into the fire company’s parking lot at approximately 4:25 a.m. on May 30, moments before the Franconia Township fires were reported.
When law enforcement arrived at Sholly’s Penn Avenue residence on May 31 to conduct an interview, they located the Ford Edge parked nearby. Inside the vehicle, officers observed a fire starter log, wood logs, and a lighter.
During questioning by detectives, Sholly confessed to starting all three fires. He noted that his former employer, who terminated him in 2025, resided on the block where the second fire was set. Sholly also admitted that he reported to the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company station and actively responded to the scenes of two of the blazes to assist with firefighting efforts.
Following the execution of search warrants, investigators discovered wood logs, lighter fluid, a BIC lighter, a Motorola fire radio, and fire starter materials inside Sholly’s vehicle and residential garage.
Sholly was processed at the Pennsylvania State Police Skippack barracks and is currently held in Montgomery County Prison after failing to post bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 10, 2026.
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