ALFRED — Former Old Orchard Beach Fire Chief Ricky A. Plummer, 61, of Biddeford pleaded guilty to a Class A felony arson charge before Justice Wayne Douglas at York County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.

In so doing, Plummer, who has served as chief in several locations during his career in the fire service, admitted he was guilty of starting a fire that burned 42 acres in Old Orchard Beach in the spring of 2016, while he was chief.

Firefighters from several municipalities fought the April 15, 2016 blaze on state-owned land, described as a wildfire, for five hours. A nearby condominium complex was evacuated when the fire came within 100 feet of the building, Plummer told reporters at the time. 

“The winds were unbelievable,” said Plummer following the blaze. “The fire was going past us like a freight train.”

Plummer is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 9 and could spent two years in prison if Justice Douglas accepts a plea agreement worked out between Plummer’s attorney, William Bly, and York County prosecutors Justina McGettigan and Joshua Saucier.

Under the terms of the agreement, Plummer could be sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison, with all but two years suspended. He would serve four years probation.

A Class A arson charge carries a maximum prison term of 30 years.

In court Wednesday afternoon, Plummer appeared composed and answered the judge’s questions clearly. 

“Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty,” Justice Douglas asked the former fire chief.

“Yes, I am,”  Plummer responded.

He had originally entered a plea of innocent to the arson charge in November, 2016.

Plummer originally told investigators he was elsewhere when the fire started, but then changed his story.

According to a court affidavit prepared by Maine Forest Ranger Matthew Bennett, Plummer told authorities during a May 6, 2016 interview that he was responsible for the fire, but that it was not intentional.

He claimed he had taken two cigarettes from his wife, walked out into the woods “to get some peace,” and lit one of the cigarettes with two tear-off matches. He said he threw the matches on the ground, disposed of the cigarette in chest-high cattails, then walked out of the woods, unaware that a fire had started or was burning, according to the court document.

Three Old Orchard Beach Fire Department captains told Bennett that Plummer had never been seen smoking, and they were unaware that he ever smoked in the past. 

According to the affidavit, Bennett had thoroughly searched the area where Plummer said he had been smoking, and saw no cigarette butts or matches.

As well, Bennett wrote, Plummer told him on April 30 , 2016 that he had responded to the fire from a different street – that he had just left Old Orchard Beach Town Hall, and told Bennett, in reference to the wildfire, “that was as close as I’ve ever come to burning a building down … besides Florida.”

Plummer worked for the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fire Department for more than 20 years, retiring as chief in 2001. In September 2014 — after stints in North Yarmouth, Biddeford, Gray and Standish in Maine; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Cocoa, Florida — Plummer was named chief  in Old Orchard Beach.

He was relieved of his Old Orchard Beach command on May 6, 2016 and taken into custody at 2 a.m. the following day. He resigned his job as chief several days later, on May 15, 2016.

Plummer has been free on $10,000 cash bail for some time with the condition that he not use or possess any incendiary devices and consent  to random search for them. As well, he is to stay out of Old Orchard Beach.

Justice Douglas ordered the bail and the conditions continue.

Following the hearing, Plummer and Bly quickly left the courtroom and they declined to speak to reporters.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.