Man Arrested in Wake of Suspicious New York Fires

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- An Oneonta man with a history of arson was arrested Monday afternoon after a string of suspicious fires over the weekend.

Gable Bugel, 22, was charged with attempted third-degree arson for trying to set a fire behind Community Bank on Main Street on Sunday night, according to Lt. Dennis Nayor of the Oneonta Police Department.

Several suspicious blazes plagued the city beginning Friday afternoon. Those fires heavily damaged a vacant home at 1 Fair Street and the Habitat for Humanity office at 50 Dietz St. A garage at 17 Eighth St. was gutted. Neighboring homes and a garage at some of the fire sites had minor damage.

A taxi driver spotted a trash bin on fire at near 28 Ford Ave. at 11:37 p.m. Sunday, and firefighters responded and put out the blaze before it could spread, Fire Chief Patrick Pidgeon said.

There was also signs that someone had tried to light a fire behind Community Bank late Sunday night, Pidgeon said Monday morning.

That was the incident to which Bugel's arrest is connected, according to Nayor.

The fire on Ford Avenue and the fire attempt were the sixth and seventh "fire incidents" since Friday afternoon, Pidgeon said.

A firefighter suffered a minor back injury in the first blaze but was not hospitalized. No residents or bystanders were injured in the series of suspicious fires.

Bugel was taken into custody for questioning at about 11:30 p.m. after he was seen acting suspiciously, Nayor said.

"The defendant was in the area and was found hiding behind the YMCA," Nayor said. "He later admitted to having started (the Community Bank) fire."

Although Bugel is considered a suspect in that blaze, which did not cause any property damage, police are still investigating whether he was involved in the other fires, Nayor said.

Bugel was sentenced to five years' probation for his role in a Halloween night fire in 2007, Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl said.

In that blaze, two Dumpsters in the alley at 2-6 Dietz St. were set on fire, and the flames spread into a building owned by Roger McPhail, officials said. Seven people were left homeless, and three businesses were damaged.

He is still on probation, but no probation violation charges have yet been lodged, Muehl said Monday afternoon.

Bugel was charged at about 2:30 p.m. Monday and was arraigned before Oneonta City Court Judge Lucy Bernier. He was sent to Otsego County jail without bail pending further court action.

Attempted third-degree arson is a felony.

Bugel is unemployed and is not enrolled in college, according to police.

At least two of the properties were fires were started or attempted to be started were long-vacant homes.

A recent housing summit in the city highlighted vacant and abandoned properties in the city as a major issue in terms of limiting the availability of housing in the city.

But Pidgeon said such properties also carry a safety risk.

"It's a huge concern," the chief said. "We don't want to risk firefighters lives for vacant structures."

The Common Council is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible should any of the fires be deemed arson.

Copyright 2012 - The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service