LEWISTON, Maine — Investigators on Friday continued pursuing leads in connection to four fires, and one attempted blaze, set in a downtown Lewiston neighborhood Thursday.
The state fire marshal’s office has confirmed that all five were intentionally set.
Sgt. Ken Grimes of the state fire marshal’s office said Friday afternoon that no arrests had been made.
Thursday’s fires — four of which were reported in just 3½ hours Thursday morning, and a fifth attempted fire discovered later in the day — burned buildings near a section of the city that less than a year ago was plagued with a string of fires determined to be arson.
“There’s certainly some commonality between [Thursday’s] fires,” Grimes said Thursday, although he said no determination has been made that they are related.
That remained the case Friday.
Asked Friday about any potential connection to the intentionally set fires that burned 10 buildings in April and May 2013, Grimes said only, “Normal investigative techniques and practices would involve us looking at anyone who was involved in the fires last year.”
Four people were charged for the 2013 fires, but charges have been dismissed against three of them, including a 13-year-old boy and an adult, Bryan Wood, who were found not competent to stand trial, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported at the time.
Charges against another 13-year-old boy were dismissed after a judge determined that police had not read him his rights prior to obtaining a confession.
A fourth suspect, Brian Morin, underwent three psychological exams after charges were filed. That case is still pending.
On Friday, Grimes declined to release any information about the causes of Thursday’s fires other than to confirm that they were intentionally set.
Thursday’s fires on Howe, Nichols and Oxford streets destroyed two buildings and damaged two others, displacing roughly 25 people from apartments. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available Friday afternoon, Grimes said.
Detectives continue to interview potential witnesses and are visiting neighborhood businesses to see if anyone saw anything suspicious, according to Lewiston Police Sgt. Brian O’Malley. They’re also reviewing footage from security cameras installed throughout the area after the arsons in 2013.