BIDDEFORD — A 43-year-old woman has allegedly confessed to starting two fires, including a 2009 blaze that destroyed a three-story, five-unit apartment building on Kossuth Street, displacing several residents.
Both fires broke out in buildings where she lived. Police arrested Edna Godin on Friday, and charged her with arson in connection with a fire Thursday night at an apartment building at 358 Main St.
It was during the course of an interview with detectives that Godin allegedly confessed to starting both the Main Street fire as well as the 8 Kossuth St. fire on May 19, 2009, said Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk in a prepared statement.
Godin was arraigned at York County Jail via video link in Springvale District Court Monday, and her bail was set at $10,000 cash or personal recognizance with a Maine pre-trial contract. Such contracts usually mandate that those charged with crimes adhere to a number of conditions. As of Monday afternoon, Godin remained incarcerated, a booking officer said.
Godin had been a tenant at the 8 Kossuth St. building, along with her daughter. Interviewed by the Journal Tribune shortly after the fire, her daughter Samantha Godin said she lost everything that day, including her shoes.
One resident had to be treated with oxygen at the scene of the 2009 fire and was taken by ambulance to Southern Maine Medical Center. None of the victims of that fire had renter’s insurance and most lost all of their possessions.
Firefighters and police responded to a fire at 358 Main St. at about 10 p.m. Thursday.
Police said an individual who reported the fire told them the asbestos siding had been set alight but had gone out ”“ asbestos was once used in exterior siding because of its heat and fire resistance.
Police officers noticed that several newspapers had been stuffed underneath the siding.
Fisk said Godin is known to police and has in the past been charged with such crimes as assault and hindering apprehension.
Arson is a Class A felony. The maximum sentence upon conviction is 30 years in prison.
— Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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