By Jen Lynds
Bangor Daily News Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — A 60-year-old woman who allegedly set fire last month to the Limestone apartment building that she was living in has been arrested and charged with arson.
Tim Lowell, senior investigator with the state fire marshal’s office, said Monday that Janie Lausier was arrested by the Bangor Police Department after she was released from a medical facility in Bangor. Lausier was not injured in the fire but because of medical privacy laws, Lowell could not disclose what she was treated for.
The fire investigator said that a warrant for Lausier’s arrest was issued shortly after the fire, but that officials had to wait until she was released from the facility to incarcerate her. He said the fire, which started at about 3:30 a.m. Dec. 5, originated in Lausier’s apartment at 23 Main St.
The blaze was extinguished by the Limestone-Loring Fire Department after two hours. The exterior of the building was not damaged and no one was injured, but several apartments sustained smoke and water damage.
The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross housed the 20 affected residents of the fire at a Caribou hotel for four days and provided food, clothing and other assistance until they were able to move back into the apartment complex.
Following her arrest this weekend, Lausier was taken by police to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton. She was arraigned by video in Aroostook County Superior Court on Monday and remains incarcerated. If convicted of arson, she could face up to 30 years in jail and a $50,000 fine.
