WALDOBORO — The state Fire Marshal’s Office has charged Eric J. Buckley of Waldoboro with arson, for allegedly intentionally setting a fire inside a mobile home at 50 Union Road (Route 235) Nov. 14.

Buckley, 34, was living at the mobile home with a woman and her 13-year-old son, according to state Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland in a press release Friday. Buckley was the only occupant at the home at the time of the fire, which destroyed the residence.

Fire Marshal Sgt. Ken Grimes alleges that Buckley set fire to items in a bathtub in the home, and that the fire then quickly spread. A 14-year-old neighbor, Jacob Soule, noticed the fire and helped Buckley escape out a bedroom window. Soule then called 911 to report the fire and rescued the family dog, which was tied up on a leash outside the mobile home, according to Grimes in the release.

While battling the blaze, a Waldoboro firefighter was hospitalized for treatment of heat exhaustion and later released.

Buckley was arrested just after noon Friday upon his release from the VA Hospital in Togus, according to the release. He was transported to the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset and will likely make his first court appearance early next week.

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.