ARSON: Firefighter set fire to own home, police say

An Endicott firefighter set fire to his own home in August, police say.

Jason Stokes, 41, of Vestal, was arrested by state police and charged Thursday with a felony count of second-degree arson, following an arrest warrant issued by Broome County Court.

Investigators say Stokes set fire to his house, at 410 E. Main St. in Endicott, on Aug. 10. All of the home's occupants escaped safely, according to investigators. Police have identified Stokes as the homeowner.

Stokes has been processed on the charge and taken to the Broome County jail to await further proceedings in Broome County Court, according to state police. His arrest was announced late Thursday, and police would not disclose further details about the allegations.

The second-degree arson charge is punishable by up to 25 years in state prison, if he is convicted.

Troopers said the August fire was immediately determined to be suspicious and Stokes' arrest Thursday is the culmination of their ongoing investigative efforts.

Stokes was independently identified as an Endicott firefighter by the Press & Sun-Bulletin in August. He was hired by the village in March 2005, according to Endicott officials.

In August, days after the fire, the village fire department listed Jason Stokes under "personnel" and as an Endicott police and fire employee in a database of state workers. His employment status was not clear Thursday night, and the link to the village fire department's personnel page returned a "file or directory not found" error message.

Endicott fire officials have said the fire started around 2 a.m., and the family of four who lived there managed to escape. They were later given assistance by the Southern Tier chapter of the American Red Cross.

The fire, which was extinguished in just over 10 minutes, damaged the first floor and the cellar, authorities said.

Questions about the fire's origin prompted village police to bring in fire investigators to examine the site, according to Endicott Police Chief Patrick Garey. Police have not disclosed what prompted investigators to label the fire as suspicious.

Evidence taken from the scene — police would not disclose what it was — was analyzed as part of the investigation, Garey said in August.

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