LEWISTON – One of three suspects accused of burning down a cluster of buildings on Lisbon Street in December said on Thursday that he and his brother have been unfairly blamed for starting the blaze.

Douglas Hersom, 26, of Lewiston admitted during a jail house interview with WGME that he went inside the buildings that eventually burned. But he denied that he and his brother, 27-year-old Timothy Giggey, of Auburn planned the arson or that they set the fire.

Instead, Hersom suggested it was 17-year-old Troy Littlefield who began setting the fires that eventually destroyed four buildings and wreaked havoc downtown.

“I just was going for a walk that night,” Hersom said. “I have no intention of doing nothing that he says I had the intention of doing.”

Littlefield, of Lewiston, told police the trio started the fires to create a distraction after breaking into one of the buildings to steal copper.

All three suspects are charged with arson and burglary. Hersom and Giggey remained jailed while Littlefield has been ordered to drug court.

Hersom told WGME the three were walking together on Dec. 19. When they saw that the back door of the Cressey building was open, they went inside just to look around, he said.

“It seems funny to me that my brother and I are the only ones in jail and the kid that admitted to it is out,” Hersom said. “I’m not denying being there. I’m denying setting the fire. I didn’t go there with the intention of lighting a fire. I didn’t tell the kid to light the fire or nothing.”

In fact, during the interview Hersom suggested that Littlefield had a habit of lighting fires and could not be talked out of it the night of the blaze. The ensuing fire took a full day for firefighters to subdue, the downtown section of Lisbon Street was disrupted for days, and four buildings had to be torn down.

“I feel bad for the people who own it,” Hersom said Thursday. “I feel sorry that it happened. I wish it wouldn’t have. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

According to court records, Hersom and Giggey both have long criminal records

Giggey has nine convictions, including two felonies; Hersom 11 convictions, five of them felonies. Both have convictions for burglary and burglary of a motor vehicle. Giggey’s other convictions include criminal mischief and violation of protection from harassment order. Hersom’s convictions include two counts of forgery and habitual motor vehicle offender, a felony.

Hersom is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on $100,000 cash bail.