Sewer fire results in arson charge

BELFAST – A 17-year-old male faces an arson charge after allegedly pouring gasoline down a storm drain, then setting it on fire, city officials said Tuesday.

The teen told police he ignited the gasoline because he feared that allowing it to flow through the sewer system would be harmful to the environment.

Instead, the flaming gasoline ignited the plastic composite sewer pipe and caused extensive damage. It took the Belfast Fire Department more than an hour to extinguish the pesky fire and the road will need to be excavated to repair the damage.

“It was a double-hydrocarbon fire,” City Manager Terry St. Peter said of the gas-poly mix.

The incident occurred at the corner of Miller and Charles streets at 1:47 p.m. Sunday. The youth had recently bought two used gas cans and decided to get rid of the old gas inside them by pouring it down a drain.

“I was driving by when I saw smoke,” a police officer said Tuesday. “I’ve been doing this for 14 years and I’ve never seen smoke coming from a storm drain,” said Patrolman Bryan Cunningham. “I felt real stupid calling dispatch to call the Fire Department for smoke coming out of a storm drain. I know [Fire Chief] Jim Richards would have been all over me if it turned out to be a joke.”

The department arrived and emptied a truck of water to try to put out the fire. A special nozzle used to fight chimney fires was needed because the entire pipe had caught fire. The pipe was 4 feet below the road and extended across the street, where it connected to the main storm-sewer line. A new sewer and storm system was installed on Miller Street in 2002.

“It’s got to be replaced. Otherwise the road will cave in,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham commended the youth for coming forward the moment he noticed the response. He lives in the immediate neighborhood. “He came to us right away and told us what he did,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham said state statutes obligated him to charge the youth with arson. He said the charge established a paper trail that would enable the city to obtain restitution.

St. Peter said the city would likely file an insurance claim for the damage.

City Public Works Director Wes Richards estimated the project at $3,000.