Police: Berne man thought burning house down was legal way to raze it
Published 9:33 pm, Wednesday, March 28, 2018
The Berne Fire Department works to extinguish a fire allegedly started by the homeowner on March 11, 2018, in Berne, N.Y.
The Berne Fire Department works to extinguish a fire allegedly started by the homeowner on March 11, 2018, in Berne, N.Y.
BERNE — A town resident accused of burning his house down in an apparent attempt to demolish the abandoned structure on March 11 allegedly told officers he thought that as long as he reported the flames it was legal, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Wednesday.
The man, who was not identified, has been ticketed for unlawful open burning, the DEC said. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said no additional charges would be filed.
The Berne Fire Department, which battled the fire, called Environmental Conservation Officer Kimberly Garnsey to investigate.
When Garnsey spoke to the homeowner, he told her "he thought he could burn his house down as long as he reported it," the DEC said. Garnsey replied "that this is not the case and that he needed to get an excavator on scene to knock the house down so it could be extinguished," the agency said.