It took firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control. Tina MacIntyre-Yee
Ontario County sheriff's deputies have made an arrest in a fire that destroyed a popular Victor business last fall.
Karen Bahai, 57, was arrested Monday and charged with third-degree arson, a felony. She is accused of starting a fire that destroyed the retail store of the Apple Farm on Route 444 on Nov. 4, 2016.
She is believed to be the former wife of Munir Bahai, one of the owners of the farm.
Investigators from the Ontario County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police alleged that she set the fire intentionally, leading to the building's destruction. She was arraigned in Victor Town Court on Monday and remanded to the Ontario County jail in lieu of bail.
The fire was reported to 911 about 3:30 a.m. by a passerby who smelled smoke in the area of the Ontario County farm. There were no injuries in the blaze and the fire did not spread to the farm's apple orchard or the home on the property.
Through several community fundraising websites, about $15,000 was donated by community members to help rebuild, much of it offered within days of the fire.
In May, the town of Victor approved the placement of three temporary trailers on the property’s existing slab, near where the main building once stood. The building, which contained a farm store, bakery and cold storage, was a total loss in the fire.
The family-owned business had been operating for more than 40 years when the fire struck.
SLAHMAN@Gannett.com
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