LEWISTON – Two men charged Friday in connection with a Lisbon Street fire that destroyed several buildings this week have long criminal records.

Timothy Giggey, 27, of 104 Third St. in Auburn and Douglas Hersom, 26, of 46 Knox St. in Lewiston were arrested early Friday morning. Media reports have identified the pair as half-brothers.

Charged with arson and burglary, both felonies, they both are being held at Androscoggin County Jail on $10,000 cash bail and probation holds.

A 17-year-old Lewiston boy, also detained in connection with the fire, is being held at the Long Creek juvenile facility in South Portland. According to media reports, he is a neighbor of Hersom’s.

The three are expected to make appearances in 8th District Court in Lewiston on Tuesday.

Both men have a string of convictions for crimes ranging from theft to burglary, according to public records.

Giggey has nine convictions, including two felonies; Hersom 11 convictions, five of them felonies. Both were convicted of 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.

State authorities made the arrests early Friday morning after questioning the three and interviewing witnesses. Some said they saw three people fleeing from the back of one of the buildings shortly after the fire was called in.

Fire investigators and police believe the trio broke into the Cressey building – sandwiched between two other buildings that also burned – and set several fires, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. A fourth building was damaged and likely will be torn down.

Federal, state and local fire officials, including three from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and six from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, teamed up to investigate the fire, McCausland said.

Federal officials assisted because of the magnitude of the fire, McCausland said.