An East Dixfield firefighter was arrested after investigators accused him of intentionally lighting a fire last week at an outdoor music area.
Jason Baldwin, 28, was arrested Friday and charged with arson, said Sgt. Joel Davis of the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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“This looks like it was a vanity fire, for attention seeking,” Davis said.
The small fire was reported Wednesday at Countryfolk Music Theatre, which hosts free summer concerts, and was quickly extinguished with only minor damage, Davis said.
Davis said the fire in the entryway of one of the cabins was reported after it was spotted by a person across the street. Baldwin helped extinguish it.
The fire at 1321 Route 2 in East Dixfield, a village of Wilton, was considered suspicious, Davis said.
Baldwin was arrested after investigators spoke with witnesses and interviewed him twice. He was taken to the Franklin County jail, where he made bail.
Davis said the East Dixfield fire chief told him that Baldwin had been with the department since May.
Wilton Fire Chief Sonny Dunham said Baldwin worked for the East Dixfield Fire Department, a subset of Wilton’s department. Dunham said Monday afternoon that while he was just getting the news about the charge, he expects Baldwin will be dismissed.
In 2012, theater owner Larry Bisbee lost his cabin in an accidental woodstove fire on the same property, cutting the concert season short, though donations were raised and volunteers helped him rebuild.
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