AUBURN —A Lewiston man was charged with arson Tuesday in connection with a predawn fire at 48 Academy St.

Trezjuan Thompson, 26, last known address 64 Oxford St., Lewiston, was charged with one count of arson and was being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on $50,000 cash bail Wednesday, officials said.

Auburn and Lewiston police stopped Thompson on Tuesday evening in Lewiston. He was arrested by senior investigator Danny Young of the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Police recovered a 9mm handgun when they arrested Thompson; he will face additional charges when he is arraigned Wednesday, according to the Auburn Police Deparment.

“This incident highlights the seriousness of domestic violence here in Maine.” Auburn’s Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said in a prepared statement. “This incident could have turned deadly in an instant. Here you have a predator that began stalking and harassing his victim as soon as he was released from jail. The community needs to continue to work together to combat domestic violence.” 

The fire, which was reported at 12:26 a.m., heavily damaged the building’s second-floor apartment, but no one was home there, neighbors said.

However, eight people were in the building, said Sgt. Joel Davis, supervisor of the southern investigation division of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. “It could have been devastating,” he said early Wednesday.  “It’s a domestic violence situation.”

One of the tenants of the building had a protection from abuse order against Thompson, Davis said. 

Firefighters knocked down the blaze in about 20 minutes, Fire Chief Wayne Werts said. They searched the upper floor but found nobody.

No tenants were injured, but Davis said a firefighter suffered a cut foot.

Two residents who were forced from the building said they fled when they smelled smoke. They said they didn’t know how it started.

Neither Werts nor Davis could give the name of the owner of the building.

Davis praised the Auburn Fire Department. “They did a great job protecting the scene,” which helped officers investigate the case, he said.