The Masonic Temple in Bath, where crews found a burned American flag Tuesday. (Courtesy of Bath Fire and Rescue Department)
The state Fire Marshal’s office is investigating a fire that burned an American flag and superficially damaged a historic building in Bath as arson, a Maine State Police spokesperson said Wednesday.
Bath’s fire and police departments and state investigators responded to the Masonic Temple on Washington Street around 10 a.m. Tuesday and discovered that the large American flag draped above the building’s main entrance had been burned.
The fire was out when crews arrived and the building sustained minor damage, Bath Fire and Rescue said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
In an update Wednesday, state police spokesperson Shannon Moss said that state investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set and classified the incident as arson.
Moss said an unknown person placed a new American flag on a fence in front of the temple sometime after the fire. Investigators are now looking for the person responsible for hanging the new flag.
State police encouraged anyone with information on the fire to contact the arson tipline at 1-888-870-6162 or [email protected] or call the Augusta Communications Center at 207-624-7076 and ask to speak with a FMO investigator.
Katie covers Brunswick and Topsham for the Times Record. She was previously the weekend reporter at the Portland Press Herald and is originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. Before…
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