Beacon Boarding House Fire Was Arson: Police

BEACON, NY — An unoccupied boarding house was destroyed by fire Tuesday and a former tenant was accused of burning it down.

The City of Beacon Police Department said the fire at 925 Wolcott Ave. began shortly before 6:30 a.m Tuesday.

Police said the structure was determined to be unoccupied because it was under construction.

Two nearby residences sustained exterior heat damage, authorities said.

The Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division was contacted, and an investigation found that the fire was set intentionally.

A previous tenant — Brian P. Atkinson, 56 — was charged with:

• Third-degree arson, a felony
• Two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, felonies
• Two counts of second-degree criminal mischief, felonies

Atkinson was processed and is awaiting arraignment in the Beacon City Court.

In a Facebook post, the Beacon Historical Society said, while it was relieved to find out that no one was injured in the fire, it was “heartbroken to see that our community has lost yet another historic structure.”

The society said the boarding house was a “Second Empire Style” home with a distinctive mansard roof that has been at the corner of Wolcott and Sargent avenues for more than a century.

For at least 60 years, the society said the building was known as the “Tourists’ Home” or the “Guest House,” and was a multiple unit structure.