West Virginia Code Chapter 29. Miscellaneous Boards and Officers § 29-3A-3. Conducting investigation to determine cause of fire

To determine the cause of any fire, the chief of any fire department or company or other authorized fire fighter may enter the scene of such fire within a forty-eight hour period after such fire has been extinguished.

If there is evidence that a fire was of incendiary origin, the fire chief or other authorized fire fighter may control who may enter the scene of such fire by posting no trespassing signs at such scene for a period of forty-eight hours after such fire has been extinguished.

During the period that the scene of a fire is posted against trespassing, no person shall enter such scene, except that an owner, lessee or any other person having personal property at such scene may enter at any time after such scene has been declared safe by authorized fire department or company officials to recover or salvage personal property if said owner, lessee or person is accompanied by or is granted permission to enter such scene by an authorized fire department or company official.