Andover teen charged with arson in apartment house fire

A 14-year-old Andover boy faces an arson charge in an apartment house fire that left three people without homes in the Village of Andover on Wednesday.

No one was injured. Investigators believe the fire was set deliberately on an outside deck. Video surveillance led police to the suspect.

Andover police and firefighters were dispatched at 10 a.m. for a working structure fire at 1 Dyke St., a two-unit building owned by the Andover Historic Preservation Corporation.

Andover Police chief James Rumfelt said a large section on the north side of the building was on fire and flames were shooting up the north wall when fire, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel arrived at the location.

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Fire crews from Andover, Alfred Station, Wellsville and Whitesville fought the blaze, while the A. E. Crandall Hook and Ladder Company from Alfred waited on standby at Andover's fire hall.

With Main Street in Andover closed temporarily, the Alfred Police Department, along with New York State Police, handled traffic, officials said.

Rumfelt said the building sustained extensive damage from water and smoke. Andover police officers rescued pet birds from one of the apartment units.

Rumfelt said the heaviest fire damage was to the deck, the north wall and attic. He said the attic fire posed the toughest challenge for firefighters.

“It had a tin roof that trapped the fire in. That is why it was so hard to get out," Rumfelt said.

Rumfelt praised Allegany County fire investigators. They determined the fire was suspicious after other potential causes, including electrical or natural gas problems, were ruled out, Rumfelt said.

Officials accessed video surveillance from a nearby building to pinpoint a suspect. Rumfelt said his son, Alfred Police officer Bryce Rumfelt, spotted the cameras across the street from the apartment house.

"We were able to (view) a kid coming to and from (the building). We interviewed the kid, (and) he confessed. We had a fire at 10 a.m. and we had an arrest by 3:30 or 4 (p.m.). Usually, it doesn’t work out that well,” Rumfelt said.

The youth, who Rumfelt said is a Village of Andover resident, was charged with second-degree arson. He is scheduled to appear at the Allegany County Probation Department Intake July 13.

The American Red Cross was on scene. A GoFundMe account was set up to assist a couple who lived in the apartment house. The money will go toward getting a new place to live and help replace furniture, appliances and clothing, the fundraiser's organizer said.

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