POUGHKEEPSIE – A 24-year-old Wappinger
man, who is a volunteer firefighter with the East Fishkill Fire Department,
has been arrested in connection with a large brush fire that occurred
near the Dutchess Rail Trail in Wappinger on April 15.
Nicholas Hughes was charged with reckless endangerment and willfully setting
a forest fire, both as felonies, and a misdemeanor or arson.
It took firefighters from nine fire departments some five hours to bring
the blaze under control after it damaged approximately nine acre.
There were no injuries and no damage to the rail trail as a result of
the fire.
Investigators from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Detective
Bureau and Arson Investigation Unit looked into the cause of the fire
and on April 22, Hughes was arrested an charge with intentionally setting
it.
He was arraigned and released to the supervision of the Department of
Probation to be placed on electronic monitoring.
The investigation is continuing and anyone with information regarding
suspicious fires in the Town of Wappinger is asked to contact Det. Harris
or Det. Pfitscher at 845-486-3820 or call the sheriff’s office tipline
at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or email at dcsotips@gmail.com. All calls will
be kept confidential.
