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FERRIDAY, La. — Ferriday Police Department arrested a man late Wednesday in connection to three fires set to vacant properties throughout town.

Police Chief Sam King said D’Qunn Artez Ilori, 24, of McComb, faces three counts of simple arson. The latest fires occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

The Tuesday fire happened at an abandoned house in the 300 block of Florida Street and the Wednesday fire at an abandoned building on Chauvin Street that formerly housed a dog food factory, King said.

“Neither of the buildings have been occupied for many years,” he said. “They were damaged badly, pretty much destroyed. (The fire) on Wednesday evening confirmed our suspicions of an arsonist in the area. When we made contact with Ilori he had soot on his clothes and hands and cigarette lighters in his pocket.”

King said Ilori admitted to setting the two fires and also to burning another abandoned house on Dec. 3, 2023, in the 700 block of Carolina Ave.

“According to him he used gasoline to set the fires,” King said, adding there’s an ongoing investigation as to how the fires started with Ferriday Fire Department.

King thanked FFD and Concordia Fire District for their work to control the fires and prevent any further damage to other houses and structures in the area.

Ilori has been booked in the Concordia Parish Jail with no bond set as of Friday morning, records show.