BATH

The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office arrested and charged a 13-year-old boy from Bath with arson on Saturday in connection with the fire that badly damaged a home at 69 Pearl St. on Thursday night.

Sgt. Joel Davis said this morning that the 13- year-old juvenile male was arrested Saturday morning, charged with arson and is currently at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Bath Police Department was also present at the time of the arrest. Davis said the juvenile lives in Bath and is familiar with the area where the fire was set.

The fire at 69 Pearl St., where Debbie Patterson lives with her 15-year-old son Nick, was reported Thursday shortly before 8 p.m. and drew firefighters from Brunswick and West Bath to help Bath Fire Department douse the flames. Crews had the fire knocked down in about 10 minutes, according to Bath Fire Chief Steve Hinds.

Davis said two investigators from the fire marshal’s office worked Thursday night into Friday and, through interviews and witnesses and looking at the fire scene, determined the fire was arson and put together the case that resulted in the boy’s arrest Saturday. Davis said the arson seems to be an “isolated event that took off and became quite a large fire.”

Davis credited firefighters on the scene Thursday for stopping the fire and preserving evidence for fire investigators to examine.