Brooklyn, N.Y.-- A homeless metal scrapper was charged with setting a 10-alarm warehouse fire that tore through a Greenpoint warehouse complex last month.
Fifty-nine-year-old Kuczera Leszek was taken into custody this morning and is being questioned by investigators from the NYPD's Arson and Explosion Squad. He was charged with arson, burglary, reckless endangerment and petit larceny. Leszek, who is described as homeless, will be arraigned later today in Downtown Brooklyn.
Authorities believe Leszek set the fire while trying to steal copper wire from inside the former Greenpoint Terminal Market in the early morning hours of May 2nd. He, and possibly other homeless men, appear to have been attempting to burn the insulation off the copper at the time, sparking the massive fire.
It was unclear arrests of other so-called metal scrappers were being sought.
In addition, investigators hit building owner Joshua Gutman with more than 400 environmental violations related to his failure to maintain the 21-acre waterfront property.
The fire quickly exploded in a 10-alarm blaze, the city's biggest, excluding the World Trade Center disaster, since 1995. It took 36 hours to bring the massive inferno under control. Fourteen firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Leszek was taken into custody early today by members of the NYPD, FDNY and ATF.
Copyright 2006 WABC-TV
Republished with permersion of WABC-TV.
