HyannisNews.com – HYANNIS — As you will see in the following HN Video, an excavator went up in flames behind the new Hyannis Fire Department early this morning.
Shortly after midnight, Barnstable Police squad cars rushed to investigate the blaze behind both Hyannis Fire Departments, the old and the new. HN arrived right as the first patrolman arrived and the excavator was fully engulfed. Moments after arrival, the patrolman noticed a man walking through the back of both fire departments. The patrolman called for the man to stop but he kept on walking in the opposite direction. HN began rolling on footage as the officer caught up to the man near the CVS that neighbors the fire department. Firefighters drove an engine from the front of their department to the rear and began attacking the flames.
As you will see in the following HN Video, as soon as firefighters knocked down the excavator fire, an alert Barnstable Patrolman noticed another fire on the opposite side of the property. Upon investigation, officers and firefighters discovered two separate small fires next to a couple of construction trailers and quickly began to put them out. HN spoke with sources on scene and it is not believed the two additional fires could have been caused by the primary excavator fire. Police and firefighters began investigating the scene as an arson… and a special arson investigator was immediately called to respond. As you will see in the HN Footage, early into the investigation officers had a suspect detained and placed him in the backseat of one of the squad cars. A crime scene photographer from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department took various photos at the scene, including photos of the suspect’s clothing.
The arson investigation is still very active and ongoing, but sources tell HN that the suspect is looking at trespassing charges at the very least at this point. At the time of this report, it remains uncertain whether the man you see in the following HN Footage will also be charged with arson but he is considered to be a main suspect at this point.
