Greenville man held in house fire

GREENVILLE — A 28-year-old Greenville man is being held in the Piscataquis County Jail on a charge of arson in connection with an early morning fire at his North Wiggins Street residence, according to police.

Mark Graham was arrested and charged with arson by Greenville police Officer Guy Dow early Sunday morning. He will be arraigned in Dover-Foxcroft District Court today.

Investigator Stewart Jacobs of the state Fire Marshal’s Office and Officer Dow said a domestic dispute occurred between Graham and his girlfriend before Graham allegedly started the fire.

Authorities said Graham, who is on probation, was intoxicated and trashed the first floor of the house. The Greenville police officer said Graham started a fire in a chair in an attempt to burn the house down. “He [Graham] threatened to start a fire and then he did it,” Dow said.

Most of the six other people in the house fled. “One person attempted to extinguish the fire and received minor burns and then left the area to report the fire,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said the fire was confined to the kitchen area of the house.

Greenville Fire Chief Mike Drinkwater said firefighters were called to the Graham residence shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday.

Drinkwater said police had found the fire in the two-story house. “It was just starting to build up and blacken. It was really in the smoldering and initial start-up stage; it really wasn’t burning hot and heavy with flames everywhere,” Drinkwater said.

The fire chief said Graham was not in the house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and limit damage, estimated at $1,000.

The case remains under investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s Office and Greenville police.