Police charge teenager with arson at Morse High School in Bath

BATH — Police on Wednesday arrested a 14-year-old Morse High School student on a charge of arson in connection with a fire at the school.

At 12:11 p.m. that day the Fire Department responded to a fire in a first-floor boys bathroom. Firefighters extinguished the fire, which was spreading between walls. The school was evacuated and students were sent home for the rest of the day.

Early estimates placed damage at several thousand dollars, according to police.

Investigators from both the Police Department and the state fire marshal's office said the fire seemed to have been deliberately set, based on their examination of the scene and security video, and interviews with several witnesses Wednesday evening.

The boy was arrested around 9 p.m. and taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, pending a detention hearing.