Maine Man Charged With Arson For Fire At Lewiston’s ‘Veterans Park’

Maine State Police have arrested a man they say deliberately set fire to a small building in Lewiston's Veterans Park on Main Street Wednesday.

Fire personnel were dispatched to the area around 9 PM to extinguish a fire in an outbuilding on the premises. Once they got it under control, firefighters called the State Fire Marshal's Office to determine the cause of the fire. The building was not wired for electricity, so that was ruled out.

"Following an on-scene examination conducted by Fire Marshal Investigators, the fire was determined to have been intentionally set. The building, which is city-owned and has no electrical power, was valued at approximately $3,000. 37-year-old Josh Kyle, an unhoused individual in Lewiston, admitted to Investigators to lighting a blanket on fire inside the building, which led to the structure catching fire."

Authorities arrested Kyle without incident and took him to jail, while they continue to look into the matter.

The Maine Department of Public Safety says members of the Lewiston Police and Fire Departments worked alongside the Fire Marshal on this case. A spokesperson for the MDPS says it's cooperation and collaboration between agencies that leads to successful outcomes in cases like these.

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