Former firefighter faces arson charges in connection with 2 fires at his Standish home
A Standish man who previously worked as a firefighter was arrested Wednesday in connection with two fires reported at his home last month. The second fire destroyed the garage at Timothy Nickels' River Meadows Drive residence. (Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Public Safety)
A Standish man who previously worked as a firefighter was arrested Wednesday in connection with two fires reported at his residence last month.
Timothy Nickels, 42, is charged with two counts of arson and one count of failing to report a fire, according to a news release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Investigators believe Nickels intentionally set the fires at his River Meadows Drive home — the first on the night of July 22, and the second in the early morning of July 23. The first was relatively small, while the second destroyed the garage attached to his home, Moss said. No one was injured in either fire.
The Office of State Fire Marshal took Nickels into custody after he was released from a hospital, where he had been undergoing an evaluation.
Nickels was a candidate in the June Republican primary for Maine House District 85, covering part of Standish. He lost to Adrienne Paul, 729 to 301.
He also served with fire departments in Cumberland County for 22 years and medically retired because of post-traumatic stress disorder, he told the Press Herald in May.
Nickels is being held at the Cumberland County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.
Arson is a felony-level Class A crime — the most serious classification of crime in Maine — punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Failure to control or report a dangerous fire is a Class D crime, carrying a potential penalty of up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
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Tagged: Arson, crime, Cumberland County Jail, cumberland county maine, fire, maine department of public safety, public safety
Madeleine is a community reporter for Gorham, Buxton and Standish. She started her journalism career in Vermont, where she reported for Seven Days and served as the editor-in-chief of Middlebury College's. More by Madeleine Kaptein
