Investigators said surveillance video shows Theresa Abichaker, of West Roxbury, setting a clothing donation box on fire and then taking off.
No one was hurt and the sprinkler system extinguished the fire. The Westboro Fire Department responded to the scene and confirmed the fire was out.
Police searched the area, using drones and K9s to find the suspect. She is facing four charges and was ordered to have a mental health evaluation.
Shant Soghomonian, also known as Michael Soghomonian, is charged with using fire to damage the building, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Vermont. No injuries were reported, the office said, and a motive remained unclear as of Sunday afternoon.
Soghomonian entered the Church Street building Friday morning and headed directly to the third floor, where Sanders’s Vermont office is located, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. Security video footage showed the 35-year-old man spraying a liquid near the door of the office, then lighting the area with a handheld lighter, the statement added.
A “significant” blaze began, engulfing the door and hindering multiple staffers from fleeing, according to a statement from the Burlington Police Department. Soghomonian then fled the building.
The fire damaged the door’s exterior, and the hallway, and set off the building’s sprinklers. The sprinkler system “largely extinguished the fire,” the police department said. Authorities responded at 10:45 a.m.
Sanders was not present when the incident occurred, according to the police department. The agency did not disclose how many staffers were in the office at the time.
In a statement, the senator said he was “deeply grateful” to local, state and federal law enforcement for responding to the fire.
“I am also thankful that none of the many people who were in the office building at the time of the fire were injured,” he added. “I appreciate the outpouring of support and well-wishes for me and my staff. We are proud to be able to continue to serve Vermonters during these challenging times.”
Soghomonian, previously of the Northridge area of Los Angeles, could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted. A lawyer “has not yet been identified” for him, the U.S. attorney’s office said in its statement.
Multiple agencies investigated Friday’s incident, including the Burlington Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vermont State Police and U.S. Capitol Police.
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement on Sunday that she was grateful for the collaboration, and added that her office “will continue to be in close communication as their office navigates the impacts of this incident.”
There were no injuries from a fire at the law enforcement center in Lawrence late Tuesday.
Just before 11p.m. crews responded to a fire alarm at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center at 111 East 11th Street in Lawrence, according to Fire Chief Richard Llewellyn.
This facility houses several Douglas County departments, including the District Attorney, Emergency Communications Center (ECC), Court Services and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
While initial units were responding, the incident was upgraded to a “Confirmed Structure Fire” and additional resources were dispatched.
First responders encountered significant smoke in the basement of the building. Following a thorough search in low visibility conditions, firefighters located a fire that was contained by a single activated fire sprinkler head.
Crews put the fire out and then searched the rest of the building for fire extension and to ensure that no victims were present.
Douglas County’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC) continued to operate throughout this incident, both receiving incoming 911 calls and dispatching resources as appropriate. Dispatchers monitored ongoing fire operations in the building and worked through an audible fire alarm which remained activated for an extended time period.
Investigators determined the fire occurred in the jury deliberation room for the Division 7 Court Room in the basement of the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.
The room had experienced water damage from a sprinkler head that was damaged during recent freezing temperatures. The fire was determined to be accidental due to an electrical/mechanical malfunction of a fan that had been left running in the room to assist with the drying process. No injuries were reported.
In an update to the county court’s website, officials said the courthouse– at 455 West Hamilton Street — would be closed for the day on Dec. 20, and all matters scheduled for the day would be rescheduled.
On Wednesday morning, Allentown Fire Department Captain John Christopher told NBC10 that a minor electrical fire in the supply room in the basement parking garage had caused the need for a closure.
The fire, he said, was knocked down by the building’s sprinkler system and electricity was shut off.
After services were shut down, he said, a decision was made to close the courthouse for the day in order to perform repairs.
The Historic Lehigh County Courthouse and Magisterial District Judge’s office will remain open, officials said.
Fire crews arrived on the scene and were met by employees who had found smoke and flames in the laundry room. Crews found that the clothes in the dryer had caught fire, and the sprinkler system had activated. Fire Crews quickly extinguished the fire and removed the smoke from the building. The cause of the fire is undetermined. One inmate was transported to Altru with unknown injuries. There were no injuries to fire personnel or corrections staff.
The fire department responded with five engines, one aerial truck, one command vehicle, and twenty personnel. The fire department was assisted by the Grand Forks County Corrections Staff, Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office, and Altru Ambulance.
Crews responding to a report of a fire at the police station on Main Street around 8:20 p.m. found a smoldering fire being held in check by the building’s sprinkler systems and heavy smoke in the building, according to Westboro Fire Chief Patrick Purcell.
The police station was evacuated.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the building.
No one was injured. Policing operations, including patrol, remain operational.
After a search, which included police K-9 units and police drones, a person of interest was located and taken into custody. That person’s name is not being released.
There was minimal fire damage to the building, but the sprinkler system caused significant water damage. Purcell estimated the damage at $250,000.
A fire at the Burlington Police Department was intentionally set, authorities say.
The Burlington Fire Department was dispatched Monday morning around 2 a.m. to the headquarters of the Burlington Police Department at 1 North Ave.
A fire had been set in the lobby, according to the police department, by Stephen A. Romprey, 62, who said later when he was questioned that he was making a point. He set fire to paper in the vestibule which is the only part of the police station that remains open at night. He was taken into custody and charged with second degree arson and reckless endangerment.
By the time fire crews arrived on scene the fire had been put out by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. Due to the amount of smoke the fire had produced, crews evacuated workers from the Emergency Communications Center, which was in a different part of the building. An emergency plan was activated to relocate the dispatch services so that 911 calls were not disrupted.
The fire and sprinkler system caused thousands of dollars in fire and water damage to part of the building, according to Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad. The water from the sprinkler flooded floors in multiple areas. About three hours after the evacuation, the Emergency Communications Center was able to operate out of the BPD building once again.
The police department is considering locking the doors to the vestibule as a result even though it includes a phone the public can use to alert authorities and a warm space that some unhoused use at night. Murad said the department is considering putting a phone on the exterior of the building.
This was the second in about a week’s time that Burlington emergency responders were targeted. On Nov. 5, an ambulance was stolen while on a call, driven about half a mile and crashed into a parked car.
According to the LAFD, firefighters responded to City Hall – located at 200 N. Main Street in downtown L.A. – around 8 p.m.
Preliminary reports indicated that an object was apparently thrown into the building, causing the fire to start.
Fire crews arrived on scene and responded to an activated alarm on the second floor of the building. A sprinkler helped contain most of the fire, LAFD said.
“LAFD firefighters found evidence that the fire was started suspiciously,” a spokesperson for the LAFD confirmed to KTLA.
A fire department spokesperson told the LA Times that the fire started in the office of Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso.
Tso later confirmed that there was a fire in her office, but also said that she could not comment further on the matter.
Arson investigators with the Los Angeles Fire Department are handling the ongoing investigation.
Sarasota Battalion Chief Christopher Davis said flames broke out in the jail’s first floor kitchen just after 7 a.m. The victim was transported to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital. At this time, it is unclear if the victim was an employee or an inmate.
He said the sprinkler system inside the building helped put out much of the fire before crews arrived. While no evacuations were made, Davis explained that jail staff kept a close eye on inmates while first responders checked out all portions of the building to make certain the fire was completely out.
The SCFD stated that the State Fire Marshal’s office was notified about the blaze inside of the jail. The fire was out before they were on the scene.
The fire was an accidental cooking fire caused by grease, according to Sarasota County’s communications director.
This is an ongoing investigation.
RTA also said Red Line trains will express the Tower City Station for the time being, with eastbound passengers destined for Tower City transferring to a shuttle bus at West 25th Street Station.
The fire activated the building’s sprinkler system, with RTA police as well as Cleveland police and fire personnel responding.
According to Lt. Mike Norman of Cleveland Fire, the fire was contained to a garbage can and the “surrounding structural area.” Responding units found the area filled with smoke. No fire alarm was activated.
“The Fire Marshal has been notified and will follow up on the issue with the fire alarm system,” said Norman.
The fire damage is estimated at $2,000.
No injuries were reported.
RTA Police have a suspect in custody.
