LEWISTON — Police arrested a man late Wednesday night on a charge of setting a fire that destroyed a small building in Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Josh Kyle, 37, who is unhoused, was arrested on a charge of arson and transported to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.
Lewiston fire crews responded to the park on the banks of the Androscoggin River around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The fire, which was quickly extinguished, prompted the state fire marshal’s office to investigate. It determined the fire was intentionally set.
Police tracked Kyle down after they were told he was observed in the area earlier in the evening, Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said. Kyle admitted to lighting a blanket on fire inside the building, she said.
The city building, which was not connected to electrical power, was valued at $3,000.
Fire marshals continue to investigate the incident.
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